The Never Ending Story #2: The Way It Is
by onelildustbunni
Summary: After the Savage Lands...Rogue's nausea turns out to be more than she thinks! Please note: I have taken features from The movie & from various comics andmixed them into one. R&R Please!
1. Default Chapter

The Never Ending Story #2  
  
The way it is  
  
Sequel to The Savage Lands  
  
This is the story that never ends.....yes it goes on and on my friends...a Brooke started writing it not knowing what it was, and you pplz started reading it becuz it is the story that neva ends....yes it goes on an on ma fwends....lalalallalaa ^-^ dedicated to ma sista annie, ma fwend wennypoops, ma puppy torre, an ma fwend eripoo buttman...  
  
Disclaimer: The X-men and all the other characters in this story EXCEPT Forest and Ryan (well kinda) and wolverine are marvel's. ergs why can't I have wolverine? Someone get me a wolverine for Christmas!! Oh FINE wolverine is Marvel's TOO. Ryan is mine KINDA cuz I have based him off an existing Marvel Character, just changed his name and history.  
  
Enjoy!!  
  
+++++++  
  
Rogue clamped a hand over her mouth in an effort to still the rising bile that burned her throat.  
  
She leaned on the wall, willing the room to stop spinning in circles, willing the rising waves of nausea to settle.  
  
She needed relief.  
  
Pushing through the swinging doors of the Infirmary, she tried to focus her blurry eyes and scanned the room for the redheaded telepath, finally spotting her leaning over a microscope at the far end of the infirmary.  
  
Not trusting the contents of her stomach to stay in their proper place, she sent out a panic-stricken thought to the woman before her.  
  
~Help~  
  
Jean jumped up, startled as a desperate plea for help lodged itself in her mind.  
  
"Rogue! I didn't see you...oh, my, are you alright?"  
  
She slid off the tall stool and hurried to where Rogue stood, swaying drunkenly, and took a grip on her arm before she could keel over.  
  
"What's wrong, Rogue? Headache? Stomach Cramps? Is the nausea back?"  
  
Rogue nodded her green tinted face faintly.  
  
"N-nausea," She managed to gasp out before another wave overtook her and she spilled out her stomach contents to the ground.  
  
Jean had to keep back her own gag reflexes as the sight and smell threatened to overwhelm her.  
  
After getting her natural reflexes back in control, she stepped closer to Rogue and helped her to one of the shiny metal examination tables.  
  
She went to the storage cabinet, rummaging around for a moment before returning triumphantly, holding a small vile of white pills aloft like a prize.  
  
"Aha! Here they are. Take 2 of these and it'll give you some relief."  
  
She handed Rogue a cup of water, being careful to stay out of range of her mouth.  
  
Rogue nodded in thanks and popped the pills, taking a long swig of the water before handing the empty cup back to the doctor.  
  
After a minute, Jean fetched her trusty sidekick; the clipboard that had become as vital to her as her arms or legs.  
  
"Now, Rogue, when was the first time you started experiencing these waves of nausea?"  
  
Rogue closed her eyes and ran the back of her hand over her sweat-covered forehead.  
  
"Oh...ah dunno....probably when Magneto held us captive."  
  
Jean nodded and scribbled notes.  
  
"Do you notice any other discomforts?"  
  
Rogue thought for a minute.  
  
"Not really....except...well....ah'm really tired."  
  
Jean smiled patiently. "That's to be expected, Rogue. You went through a huge ordeal with Magneto and his minions."  
  
Rogue sighed and heaved herself off the exam table, taking deep breaths to calm her still racing heart, and visualizing feeling healthy and fit.  
  
"Take this vile with you, Rogue, and take two pills every 4 to 6 hours if you continue to feel nauseous. Come back to me if this continues or your symptoms progress.it's probably nothing more than a exotic strain of stomach flu, but it pays to be cautious."  
  
Rogue took the tube of pills and thanked Jean for her help before making her way out of the Infirmary.  
  
Jean watched her until she was out of sight, churning thoughts over in her mind like wildfire.  
  
"I wonder," She breathed.  
  
*************  
  
Rogue woke up the next morning to an increasingly familiar lurch in her stomach.  
  
She groaned as she fumbled for the bottle of pills and took a swig out of the water she kept by her bedside, rubbing the sleepiness out of her eyes.  
  
She reached for her watch, feeling her stomach flop as she remembered that today was her training day, on which she would meet Logan and spar with him in the danger room for an hour or so.  
  
Usually she loved the challenge of wrestling with her feral friend, but lately they hadn't gotten along so well.  
  
She remembered the night that had changed it all, when she had swayed into his lips, drawn by some unknown force to Logan, noticing for the first time how his eyes studied the depths of her soul, and how his gruff features felt against hers.  
  
Before that, she hadn't thought of him as any more than a good friend, maybe a best friend, but certainly not to the point that she would have thought they would ever get involved with each other.  
  
She sighed and slipped off her big t-shirt and shorts, pulling on her shower cap and stepping into the refreshing stream of water that beat down on her skin.  
  
  
  
+ + + + +  
  
She rushed down the corridor to the elevator and slapped her fist on the down button, waiting impatiently as she fiddled with her silver peace earrings.  
  
The bell dinged and the doors opened, exposing the inner linings of the basement elevator.  
  
Stepping in, she punched the special code known only to the members of the team into the keypad.  
  
"Welcome, Rogue. Where would you like to go today?"  
  
An automated voice greeted her.  
  
"Danger Room, and be quick."  
  
The doors slid closed and she felt the floor drop down before coming to a halt.  
  
"Have a nice day." The elevator said as the doors opened to reveal shining metal hallways and doors.  
  
"Thank you, Ah will."  
  
Rogue told the elevator as she flew to the door of the Danger Room.  
  
She knew it was silly but she could never resist responding to the automated voices of the various equipment in the mansion.  
  
She entered the mission room and quickly pulled her uniform on, zipping it up to the chin and securing her boots.  
  
One couldn't make slips when wrestling with Wolverine.  
  
She had learned that early, when he had taken advantage of a loose bootstrap, tripping her and forcing her into submission.  
  
On another memorable occasion, he had slammed her against the wall when she paused to yank at an open zipper.  
  
He was merciless.  
  
She flexed her jaw and ran her keycard through the handle of the Danger Room door, hearing it click as it opened.  
  
The large round X formed by the four Adamantium counterparts whirled open, leaving a large hole for her to go through.  
  
She paused as always to rub her hands on the virtually unbreakable door, marveling at the technology of humankind.  
  
So few things in her world were unbreakable.  
  
She had learned to appreciate the few things that could withstand her awesome strength, counting them as valued treasures in her rather bleak world.  
  
Logan was one of those treasures.  
  
His bones where laced with the precious metal, and that combined with his healing factor, rendered him as the one friend she could count on always.  
  
Around him, she didn't have to be careful about throwing a playful punch to his shoulder, or breaking his ribs in a hug.  
  
And he didn't care that her skin was untouchable.  
  
She sniffed as she reached the last door that blocked the entry to the Danger Room, rubbing her nose with her index finger.  
  
~I can't let him see me cry,~ she thought angrily.  
  
She smoothed away an imaginary wrinkle in her red-and-green uniform, and squared her shoulders.  
  
~Be strong.~  
  
The soft whir of the opening doors echoed throughout the hallway, and she jumped to the side of the door as she had learned to do from previous experience.  
  
On her very first session with Wolverine, she had walked in unprepared and he had jumped her from behind and pinned her to the ground, laughing all the while.  
  
After a brief glance inside she was sure the Danger Room was empty.  
  
Relieved, she stepped inside.  
  
~Just like I thought. Empty.~  
  
She launched herself almost lazily into the air and floated to the little landing right beside the control room's large glass window.  
  
~Why run the stairs when you can fly?~ She thought with a smirk.  
  
Besides, her feet hurt.  
  
Reaching the door, she found it unlocked and entered the little room full of computers to run all the various holographic simulations and machinery that were the Danger Room's purpose.  
  
She was puzzled. ~No one here either,~ she thought warily. ~This smells fishy!~  
  
She checked her watch unbelievingly.  
  
~Watch says it's time,~ She thought. ~Wonder if it's broken?~  
  
Just then, the soft whir of the Adamantium doors attracted her attention, and she crept up to the window to take a peek.  
  
She sank down into a chair, shocked.  
  
~I beat him,~ she thought, watching his yellow-clad figure sniff the air then start to make it's way to the control room, climbing the steps rapidly.  
  
The silence that lay across the room was shattered by the banging of the door.  
  
"Rogue! There you are. C'mon, let's get movin'."  
  
He pulled her to her feet with a grunt.  
  
"You gettin' heavier or somethin'?"  
  
She scowled at him, but remained silent as she followed him out to the landing, then she swung her legs over the railing on the stairs and pushed away, dropping a few feet before her powers kicked in and held her up.  
  
Frowning for a moment, she descended gracefully to the far-off bottom.  
  
+ + + + + + + + +  
  
"Let's work on blocking today."  
  
Rogue blinked as a short spell of dizziness overcame her.  
  
Logan looked at her for a moment.  
  
"You okay?"  
  
She shook her head.  
  
"Yeah, Ah'm fine," She said. "Just terrific."  
  
He frowned.  
  
"You don't look so hot. You seen Jean?"  
  
Rogue sighed impatiently.  
  
"Yeah, ah have, now let's get on with the darned workout so ah can relax and enjoy the rest of ma Friday."  
  
He shrugged and began to lay out the basics for blocking.  
  
Rogue suddenly found it a challenge to stay awake.  
  
She swayed on her feet and found herself leaning against him, when she suddenly realized he wasn't talking anymore, but was instead watching her curiously.  
  
She struggled to keep her eyes open.  
  
"Rogue, Darlin', I think you should go back to bed," He ventured cautiously.  
  
"Why you say that....shugah....." She mumbled sleepily, snuggling her face to his shoulder.  
  
He grinned hesitantly.  
  
"Look, I'll carry you up to bed and tuck you in, okay?" He suggested.  
  
That brought her back to her senses.  
  
"What, so you can jump in too, like you did back there?" She snapped.  
  
He looked hurt.  
  
"Rogue....I...."  
  
She snarled.  
  
"Rogue nothing! Ah'm going back to bed, got better things to do with my time than spend it arguing , especially with you."  
  
She turned back to the door, but the sleepy spell overwhelmed her anger, and she found herself unable to make it back to her soft cocoon.  
  
"One more thing," She said, swaying back into his body.  
  
"Would ya mind helping me to bed and tucking me in, shugah?"  
  
  
  
*********  
  
Rogue snorted irritably as she rummaged through the fridge.  
  
It was 2 o'clock in the morning, and it made no sense at all to her that the fridge lacked sundaes with grilled chicken strips.  
  
"What the hell are you doin'?" Came Logan's familiar you-woke-me-up voice.  
  
She closed the fridge and laid out the ingredients on the table beside it.  
  
"Ah want a sundae," She said as she got out the frying pan.  
  
Logan stared at her in disbelief.  
  
"Rogue, it's 2 in the mornin'!" He snarled.  
  
"Ah know that!" She snapped as she set the pan on the stove and turned on the heat.  
  
He watched her for a few moments, curiosity finally overwhelming his initial grumpiness.  
  
"You want a sundae?" he asked as she placed the chicken in the pan.  
  
"Uhuh," Came the pleasant reply.  
  
"Then why the fuck are you fryin' chicken?!"  
  
She bristled.  
  
"None of your fucking business, shugah."  
  
He growled.  
  
She ignored him and continued to fry the strips of chicken, finally turning off the stove and placing the chicken on a plate to cool as she created her sundae.  
  
"Get me that bowl," She said, pointing to a pretty sundae dish that sat in one of the cabinets.  
  
He fetched it for her, becoming more and more curious as she continued to create.  
  
She finally laid the strips of chicken over the ice cream and topped it off with a dab of chocolate sauce.  
  
"Eww.Rogue that's gross." He said as he watched her dig into the fowl desert, taking large spoonfuls and shoving them into her mouth with a satisfied grin.  
  
"How can you eat that?"  
  
She shrugged nonchalantly.  
  
"Ah just woke up and wanted chicken sundae," She mumbled through a mouthful of food.  
  
He continued to watch in amazement as she polished it off, licking the bowl and the spoon and still looking unsatisfied.  
  
"Ah'm still hungry," She said, opening the fridge again.  
  
He shook his head with a grin.  
  
"No wonder you're getting heavier," he commented wryly. "If you're eating that much."  
  
She shot him a scowl and rummaged further, finally pulling out a tin of sardines.  
  
He looked slightly nauseous.  
  
"This'll do.with some more chocolate.perfect." She said, rolling back the tab and taking out one of the small, closely packed fish.  
  
He made gagging noises.  
  
"Rogue, that's absolutely disgusting!" He said, staring as she dipped each sardine into a bowl of chocolate sauce, licking her fingers and the bowl once she had finished.  
  
"It's just food, shugah." She said patiently, looking at the empty bowl with a sad expression.  
  
She looked up at Logan, studying his features with sudden interest.  
  
He began to slowly back away.  
  
"Uhh....Rogue...I'm not food..." he said, alarmed that his own life might be at risk.  
  
~Who knows?~ He thought uncomfortably. ~She just polished off a chicken sundae and a tin of chocolate dipped sardines!~  
  
She sighed and washed her dishes in the sink, finally toweling them off and placing them in their respectful cabinets.  
  
"Are you okay?" He asked as she stood, staring at the empty counter looking forlorn.  
  
She burst into tears.  
  
"N-no! Ah....ah....d-don't..."  
  
He ran to her and threw his arms around her heaving shoulders with concern.  
  
"Shhh, it's okay, darlin', no, don't cry, baby, don't...." He said soothingly, placing his hand to the back of her head and holding her to his shoulder.  
  
She pushed him away in mid sob, suddenly furious.  
  
"Get away from me! You're not getting that from me again!" She hissed.  
  
He looked stunned.  
  
"I....no, Rogue, I wasn't...."  
  
She suddenly returned to looking tired and oblivious, as she had at that morning's session.  
  
"C'mon Rogue, you need to get to bed. Get some sleep."  
  
She let herself be led along to her bedroom, offering no objections when he picked her up and laid her in her bed like a little girl, tucking in her blankets and giving her a kiss on her bang-covered forehead.  
  
" 'Night, darlin'." He said, watching in disbelief as she drifted off before he could even lean back, a smile on her angelic features.  
  
He watched her a few moments more before making his way back to his own room.  
  
  
  
+ + + + +  
  
  
  
Rogue sat, staring at her breakfast with a tired expression.  
  
"Rogue, is everything alright, child?"  
  
She turned to look at the tall African faux goddess called Ororo, known more commonly as 'Ro.  
  
"Everything's fine, 'Ro. Ah'm just not hungry."  
  
They exchanged a smile and 'Ro turned back to her meal.  
  
Rogue sighed.  
  
No matter what she kept telling everyone, she was not fine.  
  
She was tired all the time, she had nausea every morning and sometimes well into her day, and she woke up in the middle of the night craving almost inedible foods.  
  
She stole a glance down the table at Logan, watching him devour his breakfast in record time.  
  
They still weren't easy with each other, even though he had been doing his best to make it up to her.  
  
/ You alright? /  
  
She felt a foreign thought slide into her head, and saw Jean looking at her with concern.  
  
~I'm fine,~ thought Rogue.  
  
But Jean knew that was a lie.  
  
  
  
+ + + + +  
  
  
  
Later that afternoon found Rogue once again in the infirmary, sitting on a exam table while Jean took tests and interrogated her, nodding and scribbling notes all the while.  
  
"How long have you been feeling sick for?"  
  
Rogue thought for a few minutes.  
  
"About three months now."  
  
Jean looked thoughtful.  
  
"And have you felt any swelling or soreness in your breasts?"  
  
Rogue looked startled.  
  
"Well....ah....yeah...why?"  
  
Jean sighed and put down her clipboard.  
  
"I'll tell you when the tests come through."  
  
The doctor finally gave her another vile of pills and gave her instructions on their use.  
  
After thanking her, Rogue made a beeline for the fridge, a grilled cheese sandwich with pineapple calling her finicky appetite.  
  
She made her way to the living room sofa, only to find Logan already laying on it.  
  
"Scootch," She said, threatening to sit on his shins.  
  
He took one look at her plate and scrambled to the other end of the sofa, covering his mouth with his hand all the while.  
  
Rogue smiled and took big bites, making sure to waft some of the smell towards him.  
  
He watched her quietly for a few moments, then cleared his throat.  
  
"Uhhh....you feelin' better?"  
  
She shrugged.  
  
"Ah guess," She said.  
  
After a few moments of silence he got to his feet.  
  
"Well...I, umm, gotta go.....Scooter...."  
  
He watched her for a moment before making for the door.  
  
  
  
+ + + + +  
  
  
  
Rogue swung at the large punching bag in the gym, attacking it as if it had caused the problems in her life.  
  
She threw a particularly hard punch, and her fist sailed right through the bag.  
  
Surprised, she stared at the hole for a moment before shaking her head and leaning back.  
  
She wondered if there was something permanently wrong with her.  
  
For the last three months, she had felt sick, tired and moody, lashing out at all those around her, including those who only wanted to help.  
  
She'd thrown a fit when they'd insisted she stay behind on their last mission, which was so unlike her.  
  
Lately she had found her temper easily ignited, and that was something when you could dent steel doors by knocking on them.  
  
" Rogue! There you are."  
  
She turned to see Logan striding towards her.  
  
"Whatcha looking for me for? Bed feel empty?" She taunted, then instantly regretted it at the hurt look on his face . ~Why the heck did I do that?~ She thought.  
  
"No, Jean wants you in the infirmary."  
  
Rogue nodded and gave the bag one last punch before heading for the door.  
  
  
  
+ + + + + 


	2. Chapter 2

+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + +  
  
Jean was waiting for her at the door of the Infirmary when she arrived.  
  
She smiled anxiously and motioned for Rogue to sit on the exam table, while she took out a piece of paper.  
  
"The results of the tests are in, and I've determined the cause of your problems, Rogue."  
  
Rogue sighed in relief.  
  
Lately, she'd started to worry that there was no answer to the constant nausea and tiredness that racked her body for months on end.  
  
"Well, spill it shugah. What's wrong with me?"  
  
Jean shook her head.  
  
"There's nothing wrong with you, Rogue. In fact, this is all normal."  
  
Rogue looked puzzled but let Jean finish.  
  
"Rogue, this may come as a big shock for you....but you're pregnant."  
  
She blinked stupidly.  
  
Pregnant?  
  
"But ah can't be pregnant," She gasped.  
  
Jean smiled wanly.  
  
"But you are, Rogue. You have been for three months now."  
  
She walked over to the table and presented the paper to Rogue.  
  
"These are the test results, indicating your hormonal levels."  
  
Rogue's expression was blank as Jean explained the various graphs and symbols to her.  
  
A question popped into her stunned mind.  
  
"W-when is it due?"  
  
Jean smiled.  
  
"Your baby will be born January 1st, by my calculations. "  
  
Rogue mulled it over in her head.  
  
~Six months. Six months and I'm going to have a child. I won't be alone anymore.~  
  
The thought was appealing, having being alone for so long.  
  
Jean was talking again, but Rogue wasn't paying attention.  
  
~How can I raise a child with no father? With no father. Father. Oh god.~  
  
She gasped. ~Oh no. How the hell am I going to tell Logan?~  
  
"Rogue!"  
  
She snapped back to attention.  
  
"A-ah'm sorry, Jean, but this is a big surprise for me," She said.  
  
"Ah'll come back once ah've mulled it over a bit and we can talk then...okay?"  
  
Jean nodded understandingly.  
  
"Of course! How inconsiderate of me. It's perfectly fine, you can come anytime and we'll have an appointment. How does next Monday, at 3 o'clock sound?"  
  
Rogue nodded.  
  
"Sounds good."  
  
Jean nodded and made a note of it on her calendar.  
  
"Oh! And one more thing....who's the father?"  
  
Rogue gulped.  
  
"Ah...ah....." She paused, trying to clear her head.  
  
"Ah'd rather not say, until ah've told him....ah'm sorry."  
  
Jean shook her head.  
  
"Don't be. You don't have to tell me if you feel uncomfortable. We can discuss this at our appointment."  
  
Rogue thanked her and slid off the examination table.  
  
  
  
+ + + + + +  
  
During the next several days, Rogue's mind was in turmoil.  
  
Feelings of shock, joy, uncertainty and dread filled her until she felt like she was ready to burst.  
  
Shock that she was pregnant. Joy because she was no longer alone. Uncertainty because she felt incapable of taking care of herself, let alone a child.  
  
And dread of telling Logan.  
  
She avoided him whenever possible, always finding some excuse to leave the room when he entered, even skipping meals and eating on her own, guilt gnawing away at her for keeping a secret that involved him.  
  
But she was terrified of what his reaction to the surprise she carried within her might be.  
  
Rogue was rarely afraid of anything, but one of the things that scared her was Logan's inner animal.  
  
She had seen him lose control on several occasions, letting the wolverine in him rage freely inside the mansion and the surrounding woods, on one such time stabbing a fellow teammate in the stomach.  
  
Luckily for the said student, the claws had missed her vitals and she had lived.  
  
Would Rogue be so lucky?  
  
  
  
+ + + + +  
  
Logan couldn't sleep.  
  
He had tossed and turned for hours, but the nightmare filled blackness refused to envelop him.  
  
Getting up, he threw on a pair of boxers and crept down the stairs, pausing at intervals to listen.  
  
There was no mistaking the sounds of a tv on, somewhere downstairs, maybe the living room?  
  
He moved silently to the doorway of the room, taking a deep sniff of air.  
  
~Rogue.~  
  
He peeked inside and spotted her sitting forlornly on the sofa, lost in thought, oblivious to the blare of the tv that was so loud to his sensitive ears.  
  
"Hey," He whispered, slipping in next to her.  
  
Rogue was startled.  
  
"Oh, hey, Ah didn't see you, shugah." She whispered back.  
  
He grinned and nodded to the tv.  
  
"Whatcha watchin'?"  
  
She shrugged and flipped the channel.  
  
"Ah dunno...ah was thinking."  
  
She sighed and pushed a lock of white hair behind her ear.  
  
" 'Bout what?"  
  
She bit her lip.  
  
"Ah...nothing important."  
  
He looked down at his hands.  
  
"Rogue, I...look, darlin', I'm really sorry for what happened.....back there....I didn't mean to use you. It just happened....it felt right at the moment.....can we still be friends?"  
  
She glanced at his gruff but handsome features.  
  
"Ah'm sorry too. Ah.....yeah....we're okay."  
  
He smiled with relief and leaned over to give her a hug.  
  
"Thanks, darlin'."  
  
She held him to her a moment before she leaned back and looked him in the eye.  
  
"Logan, Ah need to tell you something, can you promise me you won't get angry if ah tell yah?"  
  
He studied her face.  
  
"Yeah, I promise."  
  
She took a deep breath.  
  
"Logan....ah'm pregnant."  
  
His smile vanished in shock.  
  
"W-what?"  
  
She looked terrified.  
  
"R-remember, you p-promised not to g-get ang-gry, sh-shugah!" She stammered.  
  
His claws shot out as the wolverine threatened to break lose.  
  
"You're pregnant? With me? With my child?"  
  
She nodded slowly, tears spilling down her cheeks as she saw him struggling to keep control.  
  
"How long?" He demanded, grabbing her shoulders roughly.  
  
She winced.  
  
"Three m-months," She stuttered.  
  
He growled.  
  
"When'd you find out?"  
  
She was trembling in fear now.  
  
"Ah-ah-two weeks ago...."  
  
He snarled.  
  
"And you didn't *tell* me?!"  
  
She cringed.  
  
"Ah...ah...ah..." She sobbed.  
  
He let out a animalistic sound and took a swipe at her with his claws.  
  
She stumbled off the couch just in time, and his claws sunk into the cushions where she had sat.  
  
"Logan....please...ah....." She took a step back as he growled low again, tensing up.  
  
She screamed as he leapt at her, and in a panic she flew through the doorway and to the stairs, pausing there to hover for a few moments in an attempt to catch her breath.  
  
"Rogue, Rogue, what's wrong?"  
  
Jean was rushing down the stairs in a nightgown, concern spread over her features as she viewed her hysterical floating patient.  
  
'Ro was close behind.  
  
"Ah...." Rogue didn't have to finish as Logan reached the doorway, murder on his mind.  
  
Jean covered her mouth.  
  
"Oh, dear....." 'Ro said softly.  
  
Logan snarled and sent a vase crashing to the floor with one slash of his claws.  
  
"Logan, please, calm yourself...." 'Ro said soothingly as he approached.  
  
He let out another snarl.  
  
"Take it easy." This was Jean's voice as she held out her hands and closed her eyes, in deep concentration to keep him frozen in place.  
  
"Can you calm him, Jean?" 'Ro asked softly.  
  
"I.....no...can't...reach...his mind...training...."  
  
'Ro nodded as she remembered that Jean couldn't reach any parts of his mind he didn't want her to because of his weapon X training.  
  
And in his animal state, his barriers rose, rendering him invulnerable to psychic attacks of any kind, except powerful telekinetics.  
  
'Ro prepared for action, seeing that Jean was on the verge of collapse, having used every ounce of her mental and physical strength to restrain the animal before them.  
  
Taking a glance at Rogue, she knew the woman that could have stopped him the easiest would be of no help, being barely able to breath in her panic overloaded state.  
  
She rose off the ground as her friend fell beside her to the floor.  
  
"Logan," she said warningly. "Do not make me stop you. Control yourself."  
  
He let out a growl and tensed to pounce.  
  
Eyes glowing white, she held out her arms, speaking in low tones to the elements around her.  
  
"Ice, freeze this unfortunate animal where he stands!"  
  
Ice formed up to him neck, encasing him in a solid wall of ice and freezing him to the ground.  
  
He growled and struggled to free himself, but it was of no use.  
  
'Ro sighed with relief and settled on the ground, picking up her unconscious friend carefully.  
  
"Jean, are you alright, child?" She asked.  
  
Jean moaned and put her hands to her head.  
  
"I.....yes....but I have a.....throbbing headache...."  
  
'Ro smiled and put her hands to her friends head.  
  
"Frost, cool my friend and soothe her pains."  
  
Small patches of frost formed themselves on Jean's forehead, and she let out a sigh.  
  
"Thank you 'Ro, that helps," She said, getting to her feet.  
  
Rogue had sat down on the steps, weeping as she watched the drama play before her eyes.  
  
Jean ran to her and embraced the girl she had come to see as a sister and a friend.  
  
"Shhh, it's alright sweetheart.....it wasn't your fault...."  
  
This sent Rogue into a fresh wave of sobs.  
  
"B-but it-t was!" She managed to gasp out.  
  
Jean looked at 'Ro helplessly.  
  
"Rogue, will you show me what happened?"  
  
Rogue nodded timidly.  
  
Jean raised her hands to the sides of Rogue's temples, not touching the dangerous skin.  
  
She closed her eyes in concentration, then let out a gasp as the scenes played in her mind.  
  
/ ~Logan, Ah need to tell you something, can you promise me you won't get angry if ah tell yah?~/  
  
/*Yeah, I promise.* /  
  
/ ~Logan.....ah'm pregnant~/  
  
/*W-what?* /  
  
/*You're pregnant? With me? With *my* child?* /  
  
/ -A nod - /  
  
/*How long?*/  
  
/~Three m-months,~/  
  
/*When'd you find out?*/  
  
/~Ah-ah-two weeks ago....~/  
  
/*And you didn't *tell* me?!*/  
  
She lowered her hands slowly, looking with shock at Rogue's pale face.  
  
"But..." She said in a whisper.  
  
Rogue bit her lip.  
  
"Please don't tell anyone," she whispered.  
  
Jean stared at her for another second before nodding slowly.  
  
'Ro watched the exchange with interest, wondering what Jean had seen in Rogue's mind, and promised not to tell to anyone.  
  
Jean helped Rogue up and turned to 'Ro.  
  
"What shall we do with him?" 'Ro asked.  
  
Jean glanced at the feral man gone animal frozen in ice.  
  
"We should get the professor, and get him to the infirmary before defrosting him. I have some drugs that will calm him down so we can talk reason into him."  
  
'Ro nodded.  
  
"You should help Rogue to her room," said Jean.  
  
Turning back to the still panicked Rogue, Jean closed her eyes and concentrated as she commanded the girl's brain to release a calming hormone into her body.  
  
" 'Ro is going to take you to your room now, Rogue." She said in soothing tones.  
  
Rogue nodded and sniffled as the white-haired goddess took Jean's place and patted her shoulder.  
  
"Come now, child. We'll put you back to bed and you can rest."  
  
'Ro began to climb the stairs, and Rogue, with a glance at the frozen wolverine, numbly followed.  
  
++++++ 


	3. Chapter 3

A day later, Rogue sat at in the empty kitchen, picking demurely at her food.  
  
She was again avoiding Logan, sad that she had angered him just when they had reconciled.  
  
~But it's half him,~ She thought. ~It's his child too.~  
  
Logan burst into the kitchen just then, and seeing her sitting at the table, walked towards her in quick, definite strides.  
  
"Rogue...." He said.  
  
"Hey," She said without looking up.  
  
He raised her chin with a glove-covered hand until she raised her eyes to meet him.  
  
"I wanted to apologize for being an asshole a lil while ago, Rogue." He said slowly.  
  
A tear rolled down her cheek.  
  
"You don't have to, shugah," she said sadly. "It was mah fault."  
  
He shook his head, wiping away the tear.  
  
"No. It was mine. I shouldn't just blow up when somethin' riles me."  
  
He paused for breath.  
  
"It's not your fault, Rogue. It's part mine too."  
  
She frowned, realizing he meant their child.  
  
"Logan, it's not a 'fault', it's our child, a lil human."  
  
He sighed.  
  
"I'm sorry. But it came as a big shock to me. Real big."  
  
She looked down at her plate.  
  
"Ah should've told yah sooner, shugah. Ah just.....ah was afraid you'd react like you did."  
  
He pulled her into a hug.  
  
"I'm sorry, will you forgive me, darlin'?"  
  
She nodded, not trusting her voice.  
  
After a while, they pulled back and he put a hand to her slightly thickened waist.  
  
"So a baby, huh?"  
  
She grinned.  
  
"Yeah."  
  
He smiled as his keen hearing started to become aware of another heartbeat.  
  
"I can hear it."  
  
She looked surprised.  
  
"You can?"  
  
He nodded.  
  
"So is it a boy or a girl?" He asked after a moment's silence.  
  
She shrugged.  
  
"Ah dunno. Ah decided to wait to find out."  
  
He slipped into a chair beside her.  
  
"You should eat."  
  
She looked down at her plate and made a face.  
  
"Tuna sandwich? Yuck! What was ah thinking?"  
  
She shoved it away and walked to the fridge.  
  
"What should ah have...." she said, swinging the door open.  
  
A minute later, she was started pulling things out and putting them down on the counter.  
  
Logan's brow furrowed as he watched her set down eggs, then chocolate sauce, and some carrots.  
  
"What the hell are you makin'?" he asked with concern as she examined a jar of pickles.  
  
"Carrot-pickle omelet, topped with chocolate sauce."  
  
He snorted in disbelief.  
  
"Rogue, that's crazy!"  
  
She looked at him oddly.  
  
"What's wrong with it?" She asked, clearly curious.  
  
He blinked.  
  
"What's wrong with it? It's disgustin'!"  
  
She smiled.  
  
"You think anything with vegetables in it is disgusting, shugah."  
  
He rolled his eyes.  
  
"Okay...then eggs and chocolate sauce! That's inedible."  
  
She giggled.  
  
"You've never tried it, shugah."  
  
He shook his head and watched her in amazement as she proceeded to create an insane combination of food, finally serving it onto a plate and after grabbing a soda and a beer for Logan, she sat back down beside him, pushing the beer towards him.  
  
He gave a nod of thanks and popped open the can, taking a long sip before watching her load her fork with the disgusting food.  
  
"Want some?" She asked, offering Logan a forkful.  
  
He stuck his finger in his mouth and made gagging sounds.  
  
"No thanks---I think I'll pass."  
  
She shrugged and shoved the loaded fork into her mouth.  
  
"Your loss."  
  
He smiled and ran his hands through his hair.  
  
"So...have we decided on a name?"  
  
She swallowed.  
  
"Ah name for what, shugah?"  
  
He grinned.  
  
"Our kid."  
  
She took a sip of her drink.  
  
"Ohhhh," She said.  
  
"No ah haven't....got any suggestions?"  
  
He shrugged.  
  
"I didn't have time to think about it."  
  
She giggled mischievously.  
  
"Ah know.....if it's a boy we'll call him Scott jr.!"  
  
He choked on his beer.  
  
"You're kiddin' me, right? Please, tell me you are!"  
  
She took one look at his exasperated face and started howling.  
  
He growled.  
  
"It's not funny! I just don't want my son sharing Scooter's name!"  
  
She wiped the tears of laughter from her eyes.  
  
"Ah was just kidding, don't worry about it shugah."  
  
He sighed with relief, leaned over and kissed Rogue on her bang-covered forehead.  
  
"Don't you ever do that again, you lil Rogue."  
  
She couldn't answer, too overwhelmed by his proximity.  
  
"Logan..." She said with a warning tone.  
  
"That's my name, don't wear it out." He said with a wry grin, knowing exactly how he was making her body react.  
  
Her heart began to pound and her body felt weak as he wrapped his arms around her and began to kiss her scarf-covered neck.  
  
"Logan, don't, please...." She begged as he began to run his hands up and down the smalls of her back.  
  
"Don't what?" He asked through a mouthful of material, letting his hands come round to the front of her body, and, noticing that she wore a bodysuit, ran them up inside her shirt to her swollen breasts, feeling how they had increased to prepare to feed her unborn child.  
  
He cupped his hands and felt the nipples harden against his palms through the silk of her bra.  
  
"Stop feeling me up," She said finally, raising her hands to his chest and shoving him away.  
  
He leaned back into his chair, watching as she tried to collect herself.  
  
"Ah..." She said, feeling awkward as she straightened her scarf, still tingling where his hands had touched her, still feeling the moistness of his mouth on her neck.  
  
"Rogue," He said gently, taking her hand in his.  
  
"We're having a child together."  
  
She nodded, trying to forget the feelings his hands had called up inside her.  
  
"Don't you thing we should get married?"  
  
She stiffened.  
  
"Married?"  
  
He nodded.  
  
"But....but...."  
  
She took a deep breath.  
  
"Logan, it's a sweet gesture, but I don't love you."  
  
She paused.  
  
"We don't need to get married because we're having a child."  
  
He nodded again, lowering his head to avoid looking at her in the eyes.  
  
"It's nothing personal shugah, it's just...when ah get married ah want to be in love."  
  
She raised her gloved hands to the sides of his face.  
  
"It just wouldn't work between us," She said softly.  
  
He looked away.  
  
"Ah'm sorry," She said, not knowing what else to say.  
  
He cleared his throat.  
  
"It's....it's okay Rogue...you're probably right...it wouldn't work....it's too bad.."  
  
She leaned over and kissed him on his sideburns.  
  
"You can still be our child's fathah," She whispered.  
  
He nodded and slipped off his chair.  
  
"I...have to go....things to do...." he said.  
  
"Okay," She whispered.  
  
He turned abruptly and left the kitchen.  
  
  
  
+ + + + +  
  
  
  
Jean and 'Ro convinced Rogue to go baby shopping with them.  
  
The three chattered excitedly as they flitted in and out of the stores, carrying large bags bearing various emblems of different companies and brands.  
  
"Oh, Rogue, won't you even give me a hint of who the father of your child is? I am absolutely dieing to know!" 'Ro pleaded as they took a break to get some sodas.  
  
Rogue smiled.  
  
"Sorry, shugah."  
  
She and Jean exchanged a knowing glance.  
  
"What...she knows!" 'Ro cried.  
  
"This is unfair! Am I not your friend too?"  
  
Rogue laughed.  
  
" 'Ro, stop acting like ah lil girl!"  
  
The beautiful African goddess screwed her features up into a pout.  
  
Rogue grinned and patted her friend's shoulder.  
  
"Alright, just ah lil hint. But you can't tell no one else."  
  
'Ro's face lit up and she almost bounced up and down with glee.  
  
"Not a soul! My lips will be sealed!"  
  
Rogue and Jean laughed again at this childish display.  
  
"Let me see....well.....he's got ah lot of hair."  
  
"Hank!" 'Ro guessed eagerly.  
  
Both Rogue and Jean began howling.  
  
"Remy? It has to be Remy!" 'Ro said with a frown as her friends doubled up around her.  
  
"If-f you like," gasped Rogue, wiping a tear away.  
  
'Ro frowned and continue to throw guesses at them as they sipped their drinks.  
  
"Come on, let's hurry up, ah want to go to baby gap."  
  
Rogue said, disposing of her garbage at the waste bins.  
  
Jean and 'Ro grabbed their bags and followed their pregnant friend.  
  
  
  
+ + + + +  
  
  
  
Rogue threw down her purchases and collapsed on her bed, exhausted.  
  
She'd was sure she'd shopped at just about every baby store in New York City, picking out adorable suits and toys for her expected child.  
  
"What a day," She moaned.  
  
"What'd you do?"  
  
She sighed.  
  
"Ah was buying out all the baby stores."  
  
Then she started and looked wildly around the room.  
  
"W-what are you doing here?" She gasped, spotting Logan sitting by the window.  
  
He chuckled and took another puff of his cigar.  
  
"We need to talk."  
  
She sat up.  
  
"Logan, Ah'm sorry, but ah already told you..."  
  
His grin disappeared.  
  
"Not about that..."  
  
He walked over to the bed and sat down beside her.  
  
"Feet sore?" He said, pulling her shoes off and letting the fall to the floor.  
  
She let out a groan as he picked up her swollen feet and started massaging them.  
  
"That feels so good, shugah...." She whispered.  
  
He smiled and kissed the instep of each foot.  
  
She stiffened slightly.  
  
"So what did you want to talk about, shugah?" She asked, desperate to distract him from what was obviously running through his mind.  
  
"Hmmm?" He asked, moving up to her ankles.  
  
"Ah....you said we needed to talk."  
  
"Uhuh," He said, sliding one finger up her nylon-covered calf to her thigh.  
  
"What about?" She shuddered, finding it hard to concentrate.  
  
He looked at her indecisive face, seeing the desire in her eyes but also the doubt.  
  
With a sigh, he stretched out beside her.  
  
"Well, I didn't want things to be awkward between us....so just forget all about the marriage stuff, okay?"  
  
She nodded.  
  
"And I had an idea for a name..."  
  
She smiled and sat up.  
  
"What? Tell me!"  
  
He got up and grinned upon seeing her excited face.  
  
"Well, I kept thinkin'...Ryan, if it's a boy."  
  
She looked thoughtful.  
  
"Ryan," She repeated slowly. "Yeah, ah like that."  
  
He leaned forward and gave her a hug.  
  
"Knew you would," He said, trying not to inhale the scents of her hair, or let his hands wander from her back like they wanted to.  
  
"What if it's a girl?" She asked, fighting a wild desire to rub his chest.  
  
He shook his head.  
  
"I don't think so...I gotta gut feelin' that it's a boy."  
  
She kissed his sideburns before leaning back.  
  
A thought struck her suddenly.  
  
"What's his last name gonna be?" She asked.  
  
He grinned cockily.  
  
"Well, if you'd take my offer then it could be Logan," he said slyly.  
  
She gave him a playful punch.  
  
"Stop that!"  
  
He laughed and started tickling her mercilessly, making her shriek and giggle as she pleaded to no effect for him to stop.  
  
"Ah hate you Wolvy!" She gasped when he finally let her suck in a breath.  
  
"You're so mean!"  
  
She crawled over to where her purchases lay, forgotten, and pulled out a box from one of the bags.  
  
"Look what ah bought," She said, holding up a newborn sized one-piece set of blue flannel pajamas, covered with little white sheep.  
  
He grinned and spotted something else in the bag.  
  
"What's that?" He asked, curiosity sparked.  
  
She blushed.  
  
"It's...ah....bmff mmm" She mumbled.  
  
He pulled it out, intrigued.  
  
"A what?"  
  
"A.....breast pump....." She said, turning beet red.  
  
His eyes went wide and he dropped it like a hot coal.  
  
She laughed at his expression.  
  
"Ah baby needs to eat, too," She said.  
  
He shuddered.  
  
"I....uh....right," He stammered.  
  
Shaking her head, she pulled out another box and opened it, revealing a maternity sized dress.  
  
"It was hell finding me clothes that would keep me covered and give me enough room," She said, holding it up like a prize.  
  
"Ah'm gonna be real big soon, shugah."  
  
He looked at her thickened waist and nodded in agreement.  
  
"I'm sure you'll look great, darlin'," He said as she got up from the bed and went to her closet to put away her findings.  
  
"Ah'll be a lil while, so why don't you go down to dinner and ah'll meet you there?" She suggested, hanging up a large sheer cover-all dress.  
  
"Okay," He said, getting off the bed and moving up behind her.  
  
He leaned over and kissed her auburn hair gently.  
  
"See you then," he said, hovering near her face for a moment before hurrying to the door.  
  
  
  
+ + + + + 


	4. Chapter 4

+ + + + + +  
  
Rogue sighed and squirmed in her seat, finally finding an almost-impossible- to-find comfortable position.  
  
It had been like this all week, her hormones playing her moods like a violin, constantly making her lash out at those who meant well.  
  
Lately those mischievous hormones had been playing with her love life, making her consider Remy's not-so-hidden offers to share a bed for the night.  
  
"Petite feel lonely, no?" He coaxed, edging over slightly to where she sat.  
  
"No, ah don't," She said, more out of habit than actually meaning to refuse him.  
  
He seemed to notice the lack of meaning that usually accompanied her blatant words, and took courage, scooting up to fill the empty space beside her.  
  
"Don' seem like that, cher."  
  
She frowned and shrugged off the arm he slung around her.  
  
"Bug off, Cajun, when ah say no ah mean it!"  
  
She took to the air, hovering above the sofa with clenched fists.  
  
"Aw, Remy jus having a little fun, no? What's wrong with de petite today?"  
  
She sighed.  
  
"Ah'm sorry, Remy, but this ain't a good day."  
  
He patted the now vacant seat.  
  
"Come down here, cher, tell Remy all about it. Remy listen."  
  
She hovered a moment before resettling herself on the head of the sofa.  
  
"It's just-ah dunno, Jean says it's hormones."  
  
She slid into the cushions,  
  
"Ah feel so snappy at people lately."  
  
Remy nodded sympathetically.  
  
"Dat's to be expected, cher. Making a new person takes a lot out of a body, no?"  
  
She smiled tiredly.  
  
"Ah noticed."  
  
She heaved a sigh.  
  
"That's not all," She said, a little embarrassed.  
  
"Ah find myself....." She struggled as she tried to put it into words, then felt a tear of frustration trickle down her cheek.  
  
He pulled her to him for an embrace, patting her back and letting her slump wearily against him.  
  
"It all feel better in da morning, tings always look dark at night." He soothed, pressing a kiss to her hair.  
  
She nodded, then looked into his burning eyes, suddenly feeling the mood shift as if it were a tv station and someone had changed the channel.  
  
"Ah...." She said, losing herself in the red-on-black depths.  
  
He silenced her with a finger.  
  
"Hush, petite," he whispered, pulling up her scarf to cover her mouth.  
  
"But....." She left the sentence unfinished as their lips met through the screen barrier.  
  
  
  
+ + + + +  
  
Logan watched the exchange from the doorway of the room.  
  
He had unwillingly eavesdropped on the conversation with his sensitive hearing, and had snuck to the door, curiosity burning, at the last words.  
  
He froze as he saw their joined heads over the back of the sofa, watching her work her fingers through the Cajun's hair as she let him feel along her back.  
  
A growl escaped him before he could silence it, making Rogue whip her head around and the Cajun scoot a respectable distance away.  
  
"L-logan," Rogue said, finding it hard to breath as she tried to figure out what had just happened.  
  
He stared for a moment with disbelief, then turned and stalked away, claws sliding through his knuckles as he felt the animal in him threaten to break his control.  
  
He paused in the hallway to grab his jacket and his keys before rushing out the door and into the coolness of the evening outside.  
  
Rogue rushed to the door, still confused, and watched him start his bike's engine, kicking off savagely as his emotions battled for possession of him.  
  
She tried to call to him, but by the time her tingling mouth could form the words he had long disappeared from view.  
  
Shoulders sagging, she shut the door and walked back to the living room, trying to decipher the situation unsuccessfully.  
  
"Ah...." She said slowly, not noticing that the room was now empty.  
  
She made her way to the kitchen, finding Jean and 'Ro eating cookies while chattering easily to each other.  
  
They dropped the conversation immediately, looking at her with concern.  
  
"What's wrong?" Jean asked.  
  
Rogue shook her head.  
  
Jean frowned and turned to 'Ro.  
  
/ Should I read her? /  
  
'Ro paused a second before nodding slowly.  
  
Both knew that it was an unbroken law that telepaths did not mess with someone's mind without prior consent, and to do so was considered abomination.  
  
"Rogue," Jean said patiently.  
  
"I'm going to read you, okay?"  
  
Rogue took a moment to think before nodding.  
  
Jean closed her eyes in concentration, feeling the slide as her powers geared up and moved her into Rogue's mind, letting her read her thoughts and access her memories.  
  
Images of Rogue talking to Remy  
  
/~That's not all.ah find myself.~/  
  
Rogue struggling for words   
  
::Tears rolling down my cheek, what am I-::  
  
Remy pulling her into an embrace  
  
/*"It all feel better in da morning, tings always look dark at night.*/  
  
Rogue looking up and feeling the mood shift  
  
/~Ah.~/  
  
/*Hush, petite*/  
  
Remy pulling the scarf up to cover her lips  
  
/~But.~/  
  
The image of their lips meeting  
  
::Lips pressing into mine::  
  
::What am ah-::  
  
Rogue starting as a growl rips across the room  
  
::Oh god, Logan-::  
  
::Logan, don't-ah wasn't::  
  
Image of Logan pushing off, claws extended  
  
::Ah didn't-Logan-don't--* don't * ::  
  
Jean started at the force of Rogue's mental voice, quickly withdrawing from her mind.  
  
"What has happened?" 'Ro asked softly as Jean turned to look at her.  
  
"I." Jean glanced at her disoriented friend.  
  
/ Rogue kissed Remy. Logan saw./  
  
'Ro looked puzzled.  
  
:: But why would that matter ? ::  
  
Jean gritted her teeth, not knowing if Rogue wanted the father of her child to be revealed.  
  
/ If I tell you something, you cannot tell anyone. /  
  
:: Never a soul ::  
  
With another glance at Rogue's blank expression, Jean closed her eyes.  
  
/ Logan is the father. /  
  
'Ro opened her eyes in amazement.  
  
:: Him? I never would have thought....when?::  
  
/ The Savage Lands, 'Ro, they were together without powers./  
  
'Ro nodded slowly as it all fit into place.  
  
/ You must keep this to yourself /  
  
:: I will tell no one. ::  
  
Jean closed her mental shields and concentrated on her friend, who had begun to cry hysterically, gasping for breath as the situation began to dawn on her.  
  
"Why don't you have a cookie, Rogue, and some milk, and we can figure out what to do from there."  
  
Rogue nodded slowly between sobs and sat down at one of the tall stools beside the table.  
  
/ Get some milk, 'Ro, I'm going to sedate her for the evening so she doesn't wear herself out crying. /  
  
'Ro went to the fridge and began to pour a glass for her friend as Jean summoned a bottle of sedatives from the lab with telekinetics.  
  
Jean left the kitchen and returned a moment later with a discreet packet clenched in her hand.  
  
/ Drop two of these in the milk, 'Ro, they dissolve upon contact with liquid. /  
  
'Ro took the packet from her friend and dropped them into the milk, using her powers to create a small swirl of wind to mix the drink.  
  
"Here you are, child."  
  
Rogue took the glass and choked it down between fits, finally putting the empty glass back on the table.  
  
"Ah....what did ah do wrong?" She gasped.  
  
Jean shook her head.  
  
"You did nothing wrong, sweetheart. None of this is your fault. Calm down and we'll talk about it later."  
  
Rogue nodded weakly and sighed as the sedatives began to take effect, making her sleepy and inattentive.  
  
With a look and a thought to 'Ro, the women proceeded to help the tired and confused girl heavy with child to her bed.  
  
+ + + + +  
  
Logan gazed numbly at the bottom of the empty mug in his hand.  
  
He had tried to make reason out of his actions for the last hour, and had failed utterly, finding no excuse for his uncalled for behavior.  
  
~Just cuz she's carryin' my child, don't mean she can't see other people,~ he had told himself, but it hadn't stopped the hurt and disbelief from coursing through his veins.  
  
The bartender noticed the empty glass and refilled it, wondering what misfortune had befallen this particular customer.  
  
~Wife cheating,~ he thought with a mental shrug, and moved on to tend to his other cliental.  
  
Logan took a long drink as he struggled against his own thoughts and emotions. ~Why should I feel so shocked? Hurt? We're not even goin' out, for Christ's sake.~  
  
He slumped over.  
  
~Why am I sittin' here, fightin' myself? Why can't I just go hack to shreds whatever stupid fucker gets in my way, like I usually do? Why am I so upset?~  
  
He ruminated on the last thought, running it through his mind to make sense of it.  
  
~She's not my girl. Why be upset that she finds someone to fill her bed at night?~  
  
~Cuz she is your girl, you idiot. She's been your girl since that night in the cave, maybe even before that. Just admit it---you love her, you always have, you always will.~  
  
The revelation came as no shock to him, having felt it for some time, but he had denied for---for what?  
  
~Pride? Fear of goin' soft? Was I scared? I was scared. Scared of committin' myself, of bein' tied down, of not bein' able to roam at free will whenever the animal became too much.~  
  
He fought the alcohol that had begun to seep into his mind, threatening to turn the world a blank for him, which had been his only desire just minutes before.  
  
~So you're gonna just let her slip away from your grip, just watch while she goes off with that Cajun? You gonna be a wimp and leave it all unsaid?~  
  
He frowned.  
  
~No, I'm not, I'm gonna tell her how I feel!~  
  
He crashed his mug down on the counter with new conviction, pausing only to pay his bill before stumbling outside to find his bike.  
  
  
  
+ + + + +  
  
Logan crept down the darkened hallways of the school to the door to Rogue's room.  
  
He paused to listen for movement before tapping lightly on the door with his fingers.  
  
Getting no answer, he opened the door softly to see her lying in a sea of green sheets and pillows, breathing steadily and her heart beating slowly.  
  
She was asleep.  
  
~Dammnit,~ he thought, making his way to the edge of the mattress and slowly setting himself down.  
  
She murmured something in her sleep but did not awake.  
  
~She looks so peaceful,~ he thought as he gazed on her relaxed features, fighting the urge to move the little lock of hair that lay haphazardly across her face.  
  
"I gotta say somethin' to you, darlin'," He whispered, stroking her hair lovingly.  
  
"Somethin' I should'a told you a long time ago."  
  
He paused, watching her eyelids flutter, then continued as her heart resumed its slow and steady rhythm.  
  
"I love you," He whispered, running his fingers lightly over the bulge of her growing stomach.  
  
"I have since that mission, but bein' me, I only realized it now." He sighed softly.  
  
"All I want is for you to be happy." He dropped his gaze to the floor.  
  
"I only hope I'm able to do that."  
  
He got up and placed a light kiss on her hair.  
  
"There, I've told you, I've done it. Now all I have to do is tell you when you're awake."  
  
He took a final look at her serene face before leaving for his own room.  
  
+ + + + + +  
  
Rogue woke with a smile on her lips.  
  
She lay still for a long while, fighting to hang on to the threads of the most beautiful dream she'd ever had, one free of violence, or terror, or sorrow.  
  
~ Logan had entered her room, late at night, and had sat on her bed, stroking her hair and stomach softly while telling her how he loved her, and wanted her to be happy, how he hoped he would be able to do that. ~  
  
She sighed as reality sunk in.  
  
~Logan doesn't love me at all.~  
  
She pushed the sheets away angrily as the emotions she had worked so hard to bottle up broke free and ran through her like a river, making her feel confused and unsure.  
  
~I'm going for a shower,~ She thought as she swung her legs over the side of her bed and struggled to stand up.  
  
She shuffled to the bathroom and turned on the shower at full blast, tossing aside her sleeping clothes and pulling on a shower cap before stepping under its awakening steam.  
  
~At least Remy wants me,~ she thought as she scrubbed herself under the flow of heated water.  
  
~He's made that abundantly clear.~  
  
She reached for the soap, lost in thought, and jumped when it broke in two in her deathly strong grip.  
  
"Dammnit!" She cursed as she struggled to pick up the broken halves.  
  
"That's the third one this week. Stupid powers!"  
  
She finished cleaning herself and turned off the water, stepping out of the shower and reaching blindly for a towel to dry herself with.  
  
Finding it, she wrapped it around her thickening figure and proceeded to get ready for the coming day.  
  
  
  
+ + + + + 


	5. Chapter 5

Logan watched Rogue as she picked at her food, finally pushing the plate away and excusing herself from the table as she got up from her seat.  
  
~Do it now bub. Tell her. Don't wait.~  
  
His hands trembled as he approached her, feeling clumsy and foolish as he tripped on the edge of the rug and nearly fell.  
  
"Rogue-wait-we need to-"  
  
At that moment, Remy entered the room and headed towards Rogue with a cheery smile.  
  
"Good morning, cher, how are you dis fine day?"  
  
Rogue smiled.  
  
"Hey yourself, Remy. Ah'm right as rain."  
  
Logan glared at the Cajun.  
  
"I-"  
  
Rogue frowned.  
  
"Ah'm sorry shugah, but ah'll talk to you later, okay?"  
  
Remy whispered something in Rogue's ear, making her giggle as she took the arm he offered to her.  
  
"See ya round."  
  
Logan felt a growl start to rise in him.  
  
"Yeah, I'll see you later."  
  
He watched them leave through the door to the garage.  
  
~Too late, bub, too late.~  
  
+ + + + + +  
  
Rogue smiled as she crossed off another day on her calendar.  
  
~Two months to go!~ She thought as she flipped to the page with the big red circle on it.  
  
The words ' Baby!!!! ' on January first leaped up at her.  
  
"Dat when your little one due?"  
  
Rogue looked up, startled.  
  
"Oh hey Remy, didn't see ya there. Yeah, that's D-day!"  
  
Remy grinned.  
  
"You really excited bout it, cher."  
  
She smiled and pinned it back to the proper date.  
  
"Don't see why ah shouldn't be, Cajun. It'll be nice to be able to fit in the stuff in ma closet for once."  
  
She sighed and patted her enormous belly for emphasis.  
  
"Ah look so fat...."  
  
Remy shook his head.  
  
"You don' look fat at all, petite, no, you look beautiful!"  
  
She giggled.  
  
"Remy glad you agree to date tonight."  
  
Rogue stiffened.  
  
"Ah'm glad too, Remy," She said slowly.  
  
"Real happy."  
  
The moment was interrupted by a loud knock on the door.  
  
"Come on in!" Rogue shouted.  
  
A young girl suddenly stuck her head through the closed door.  
  
"Hey, Rogue, Jubes and I are gonna hit the mall, you wanna come?"  
  
Rogue smiled at her friend.  
  
"Sure, ah'll be right there Kitty."  
  
The girl smiled back and withdrew her head.  
  
"I wish she don' do dat so often, it gives Remy da creeps!"  
  
Rogue laughed and punched Remy playfully.  
  
"Ah could say the same thang 'bout your card tricks, shugah."  
  
He pretended to look hurt.  
  
"But dey are just tricks, cher, Remy don' stick his head through da closed doors!"  
  
Rogue shook her head and pushed Remy at the door.  
  
"Now you better go so ah can change, shugah, or ah'll * make * you stick your head through that closed door."  
  
With a grin, Remy opened the door and brushed past the two girls that stood waiting.  
  
They bounced in before the door could be closed again, climbing onto their friend's bed and watching as she sorted through her closet.  
  
"Hey Jubes," Rogue said as she pulled out an outfit.  
  
"What'dya think of this?"  
  
She held it out under Jubilee's critical gaze.  
  
"I.go with something a * little * more flashy, chica." She said with a loud pop of her gum.  
  
She stuck out her hand for emphasis and watched as it emitted a shower of sparks and fire-work-like projectiles.  
  
"Like this?" Asked Rogue, holding up a red maternity dress with a white collar.  
  
Jubilee nodded her Asian-American features enthusiastically.  
  
"That's more like it, chica! And you can wear those with it."  
  
She pointed to a pair of white sneakers with red piping in the shoe compartment.  
  
Kitty meanwhile was sorting through a pile of make-up on Rogue's dresser.  
  
"Here Roguey, when you're done there then I'll give you a quick make-over."  
  
Rogue smiled at her brown-haired friend.  
  
'Thanks Kitty."  
  
Jubilee snapped her gum with a loud pop while shooting small formations of fireworks from the tip of her finger, crinkling her brow in concentration as she made the sparks explode into simple shapes.  
  
"Darn it!"  
  
Rogue glanced at her friend.  
  
"What's wrong shugah?"  
  
Jubilee sighed with frustration.  
  
"The proff assigned me some homework to do on my mutation-I'm supposed to make the fireworks form simple shapes and figures in various levels of energy. I can never seem to make a sphere though---it's really frustrating."  
  
Kitty patted her friend's shoulder sympathetically.  
  
"You'll get the hang of it, Jubes---I thought he was kidding when he told me to practice walking on air- and look at me now!" She stepped up into the air several levels till her head touched the ceiling.  
  
She stepped back down.  
  
"I'm working on holding my breath for longer periods of time now. Once I get that, I'll be able to phase through just about anything."  
  
Rogue smiled at her friends bragging as she pulled the dress over her head and down over her extended belly, smoothing away the folds and wrinkles as she did.  
  
"You having any luck with your powers, Rogue?' Asked Jubilee with another display of fireworks.  
  
Rogue sighed as she picked out the shoes.  
  
"Nope, doesn't look like there's any hope for me, shugah," She said sadly.  
  
Jubilee frowned.  
  
"Cheer up, chica, I'm sure the Proff'll find something."  
  
Rogue waddled over to the bed and sank down heavily.  
  
"Ya wouldn't mind helping me on with ma shoes, would ya shugah?" She said to Kitty.  
  
"It's a lil hard to reach, thanks."  
  
Kitty smiled and bent over to help her friend pull the shoes on her foot.  
  
"No problem Rogue."  
  
Jubilee smirked.  
  
"Speaking of pregnancy, we were wondering who the daddy is. You gonna tell us Rogue?"  
  
Rogue smiled to cover the little catch in her heart.  
  
"Not any time soon, shugah."  
  
Kitty grinned.  
  
"It's Remy, isn't it Roguey? We heard the rumors bout you two in the living room a couple nights ago."  
  
Rogue shrugged.  
  
"It could be, ah'm not giving you any clues."  
  
Jubilee laughed and pointed to the chair at the dresser.  
  
"C'mon chica, it's make-over time. Go sit!"  
  
After she made her way to the chair, Rogue's friends did her hair and make- up before the three friends set out to the mall.  
  
+ + + + + +  
  
  
  
"Attention X-men: Assemble at Mission Control in five minutes pronto."  
  
Rogue looked up from wrapping her Christmas gifts as the message echoed through the hallways, and made for the door of her room.  
  
/Not you, Rogue. /  
  
She jumped as she felt the sliding sensation of another mind in hers, but it was soon gone, leaving only the message emblazoned in her head.  
  
~Why not? ~ She thought.  
  
/ You're pregnant, Rogue, we can't risk you getting hurt. /  
  
Rogue looked indignant.  
  
~But I'm invulnerable, for gosh darn's sakes! ~  
  
She felt the professor's mental sigh.  
  
/ Rogue, we know that, but it would in your best interests if you stayed behind. /  
  
A knock at the door distracted her.  
  
~Sorry, proff, gotta go. ~  
  
She opened the door to see Logan standing in uniform.  
  
"Hey, shug-Logan-, what's up?"  
  
He shook himself out of the slack state his mind had fallen into upon seeing her.  
  
"Uh-yeah-summons, didn't ya hear?"  
  
She nodded.  
  
"Yeah but ah was told not to go."  
  
He looked confused.  
  
"But they didn't say anythin'...oh...." He said as she tapped her head with a smile.  
  
"It's for the baby's sake."  
  
He nodded.  
  
"Er---that's right, you shouldn't go," He said, angry with himself for not realizing that pregnant women shouldn't fight.  
  
An awkward silence filled the space around them, and finally with a shrug of his yellow-and-black covered shoulders, Logan turned to go.  
  
"See ya, shug-Logan."  
  
He smiled grimly.  
  
"See ya darl-Rogue."  
  
He lingered for a moment, and he looked like he wanted to tell her something, but he shook his head and made his way down the empty hallway.  
  
She watched his yellow clad form until it disappeared from view, and with a sigh she closed the door and returned to her Christmas wrapping, twiddling the ring on her finger all the while.  
  
She remembered the night Remy had asked her.  
  
They'd been seeing each other for a few months by then, and he had asked her to marry him, slipping the ring onto her finger with a smile at her almost inaudible 'yes'.  
  
~It's not that I don't like Remy,~ she thought guiltily. ~I even love him in a way---it's just---~  
  
She smiled and blew a lock of white hair off of her face.  
  
~Who am I kidding? The problem is, Remy ain't Logan and never will be.~  
  
She waddled back to her gift-covered bed, looking again at the gift she had picked for the father of her child sadly before wrapping it in elegant green-and-gold wrapping paper.  
  
She placed a golden bow on top, finally leaning back to admire her handiwork.  
  
~I hope he likes it,~ She thought as she placed it back on the bed.  
  
She picked up Remy's present, a new pair of thin leather gloves, and picked out a pattern to wrap it with, sighing as she worked.  
  
+ + + + + +  
  
  
  
Logan slipped into his seat in Mission Control silently, feeling every eye in the room trained on him.  
  
"You're late, * Wolverine *," Scott said, putting emphasis on his rival's name.  
  
Logan grunted.  
  
"Sorry. Had somethin' I had to do first."  
  
Scott frowned and opened his mouth to reply, but he felt voices in his head.  
  
/ Scott, don't, it would be best for the team if you would refrain from speaking /  
  
/ Scott, please listen to the Professor---he knows best--- /  
  
He snapped his mouth closed with a sulky expression, and turned to the people assembled before him.  
  
"It has been brought to our attention that the Brotherhood has reunited."  
  
A stunned silence filled the room.  
  
"But---Cyke---dude---they won't---they can't---I mean---" Jubilee said falteringly.  
  
'Ro patted the girl's back soothingly.  
  
"We have been tipped by an unidentified source that the Brotherhood has planned a terrorist exhibition."  
  
He paused, letting the information sink in.  
  
"The target: the UN headquarters. The time: Tonight."  
  
Jubilee looked puzzled.  
  
"Why tonight?"  
  
Kitty jabbed her in the ribs.  
  
"Don't you know that tonight is that world leader's assembly thing, stupid?"  
  
'Ro shook her head.  
  
"No one here is stupid, child. But yes, that would be the reason the Brotherhood would strike tonight."  
  
Logan growled menacingly from his seat.  
  
"I knew I should'a whooped Magneto's ass when I had the chance!"  
  
Jean gave Logan a stern look as she sent a thought to his furious mind.  
  
/ Logan! There are children here. Please watch your language. /  
  
He glared at her angrily but kept quiet.  
  
'Ro stood up, her white uniform and hair standing out in the darkened room.  
  
"What is our best plan of action, Cyclops?" She asked in a no-nonsense manner.  
  
Scott gave 'Ro a thankful expression before laying out the plans.  
  
"We are going to fly out to the UN head quarters in the Blackbird, then split into three groups, one for each main structure."  
  
'Ro sat back down.  
  
"These teams will locate the Brotherhood members and prevent them from completing their mission."  
  
Everyone nodded.  
  
"Me, Storm, and Beast will lead these three teams."  
  
He pointed at Jubilee and Kitty.  
  
"You two are with Beast. Gambit, you're with Storm. Wolverine, Jean, you're with me. Iceman, you're with Storm. Nightcrawler, you're with Beast. Pyro, you're with Storm. Colossus, you're with me. Psylocke, you're with Storm. Morph, you're with Beast. Rogue,"  
  
He paused, searching for the pregnant woman.  
  
"Where's Rogue?"  
  
Jean stood up.  
  
"She's staying at the school, Cyclops."  
  
He frowned.  
  
"Why?"  
  
Jean sighed impatiently.  
  
"She's pregnant, Cyclops, and as her doctor I ordered that she stay at head quarters."  
  
Cyclops nodded.  
  
"Alright. Details will be discussed inside the Blackbird. People, let's get moving! On the jet! Now!'  
  
The team scrambled to follow their leader's heated command, pulling up hoods and masks hurriedly as they ran, jumped, flew and teleported to get to the large jet.  
  
++++++ 


	6. Chapter 6

+ + + + + +  
  
Rogue stared out the window at the winter scenery, not really seeing it as she wondered about the whereabouts of her friends slash teammates.  
  
She had watched as the huge aircraft took flight, making the ground vibrate and the windows rattle.  
  
The basketball court had lifted up, abandoned balls rolling off the raised surface and bouncing to the ground below, revealing the Blackbird glistening in the dark of the night, engines roaring and ready.  
  
She felt a pang of regret.  
  
Sighing, she turned to look at the Christmas tree, beautiful in the dimmed light as the tinsel shimmered and the red and golden balls reflected small images of the room around them.  
  
She placed Logan's present back under the tree beside Remy's, comparing the two as she leaned back.  
  
"You think this place could use a little mistletoe?"  
  
She started, looking up to see a native American woman with long black hair and almond eyes.  
  
"Oh, hi Forest."  
  
Forest kneeled beside her.  
  
"Not rattling your gifts, are you?"  
  
Rogue smiled grimly.  
  
"No, ah wasn't."  
  
Forest moved to the doorway and placed her hand over the upper portion, watching as green plants sprouted from her fingertips and twined themselves around the wood.  
  
Stepping back, she surveyed the sprig of mistletoe she had created critically.  
  
"Ah'm surprised you aren't on the team yet, shugah," Rogue said.  
  
She had always been fascinated by the young woman's power of producing plants and communicating fluently with animals.  
  
Forest smiled at the pregnant woman with the white streak in her hair.  
  
"I need much more practice before I could qualify for the X-men." She said, planting random bits of mistletoe around the room.  
  
Rogue snorted.  
  
"You qualified yourself already shugah. Ah mean, remember the time we got attacked by a few of Magneto's lackeys? You tied up ole' Sabertooth effortlessly! And he wasn't able to break those vines too easy, either."  
  
Forest laid her hand on the Christmas tree, producing little red and white poinsettias in a eye-pleasing natural pattern.  
  
"Maybe so, but I need to learn to control my fear of heights first."  
  
Rogue shrugged.  
  
"'Ro's on the team, and she's claustrophobic."  
  
Forest began planting sprigs of holly into the tree, then walked over to the great mantel of the fireplace and created more holly around the many holiday cards that resided there.  
  
She shrugged, and there was a long silence in the room.  
  
Forest finally broke the silence.  
  
"What's wrong?" She asked.  
  
Rogue brushed aside a stray lock of her hair. "It's nothing....well...ah'm just wondering if ah made the right choice."  
  
She twisted the engagement ring on her finger.  
  
Forest frowned.  
  
"Do you not love Remy?"  
  
Rogue sighed.  
  
"Ah do...but....promise you won't tell anyone if ah told you something?"  
  
Forest nodded.  
  
"I swear, by the sun I will tell no one."  
  
Rogue looked down at the present she had pulled into her lap.  
  
"Ah love Logan, not Remy."  
  
Forest didn't look surprised.  
  
"He's the father of your child."  
  
Rogue looked up.  
  
"Did he tell you?"  
  
Forest shook her head.  
  
"It's quite easy to see, the tension between you when you are in the same room."  
  
Rogue struggled up and flew to the window.  
  
"Ah love him, but he doesn't love me."  
  
Forest smiled knowingly at Rogue's back.  
  
"Are you so sure?"  
  
Rogue turned.  
  
"Did he tell you otherwise?"  
  
Forest sighed.  
  
"No, he didn't, but I can tell from how he looks at you."  
  
Rogue fell silent, pondering this new revelation, when the sharp pain took her by surprise.  
  
"Ow!" She cried, but the pain was quickly over.  
  
"What's wrong?" Asked Forest worriedly.  
  
"Ah...ah had a contraction, ah think...." Rogue said.  
  
Forest hurried to the girl who lay panting on the floor.  
  
"Oh my, you're waters broken," She said as she saw the puddle of fluid on the floor.  
  
"We should get you to the lab."  
  
Rogue felt a wave of panic threatening to overwhelm her.  
  
"Jean....Jean....Jean's with....with the rest of the team!" She said between gasps.  
  
Forest paled slightly.  
  
"Alright....it's alright...I'll radio her....but we should get you to the lab anyways."  
  
Rogue nodded weakly, feeling another contraction grip her body.  
  
"Can you fly?"  
  
Rogue took a deep breath.  
  
"Ah'll....ah'll...ah'll try."  
  
She struggled to her knees, spreading her arms out and lifting into the air with a heave.  
  
"Good! Now, this way."  
  
Forest started off for the lab, pausing every so often as a contraction made Rogue falter in her flight.  
  
+ + + + + +  
  
"Hello? Jean?"  
  
Jean's head snapped up as a crackling voice came out of her communicator.  
  
She scanned her mind, trying to remember the name of the young native woman.  
  
///Forest////  
  
"Yes, this is Jean. What's wrong, Forest?"  
  
There was a pause and Jean heard the woman make soothing sounds.  
  
"Shhh Rogue it's okay...Rogue's baby is coming!"  
  
Jean blanched.  
  
"Has her water broken?"  
  
The radio crackled.  
  
"Yes, her water broke."  
  
Jean clenched her teeth.  
  
"How long between contractions?" She asked quickly.  
  
"Uhh...." The woman paused.  
  
"Five minutes or so."  
  
Jean let out a sigh of relief.  
  
"Then they've just started."  
  
She thought for a moment.  
  
"Forest, I want you to make her as comfortable as possible, put some pillows behind her back. Don't give her any food or drink, but you could give her some ice cubes, okay?"  
  
She paused until she heard Forest's okay.  
  
"I can't come now, but nothing much should be happening for a couple of hours at least."  
  
She felt Forest's apprehension with her telepathic abilities.  
  
"It'll be fine. Everything is normal so far, and there's nothing that I could do for her anyways. If you do everything I said, then it'll be fine." She glanced at Scott. "I have to go now. Don't hesitate to contact me if there's any trouble."  
  
She ended the conversation and slipped the communicator back into her uniform.  
  
"Well?" Asked Logan anxiously.  
  
"Well, what?" Jean said, a little annoyed at being eavesdropped on.  
  
"You fucking well know what I mean. I heard her say Rogue's havin' the baby!"  
  
Jean scolded him mentally for using strong language in front of children.  
  
/Logan! No swearing! /  
  
He growled at her.  
  
"She'll be fine," She said with a sigh.  
  
"There's nothing that I could do for her that Forest couldn't."  
  
She remembered Remy, Rogue's fiancée.  
  
/ Remy! /  
  
The Cajun looked up from playing with his cards, startled.  
  
*What, cher? *  
  
His burning red eyes looked worried.  
  
///I must be giving off anxiety with my powers /// Jean thought.  
  
She took a calming breath.  
  
/ Remy, Forest just contacted me on my communicator. Rogue is having her baby. /  
  
Remy dropped his cards.  
  
"* What? *"  
  
Jean glanced about her as everyone stared at Remy.  
  
"Sorry," He said, embarrassed.  
  
*What? *  
  
/ She's in labor. There's nothing to worry about, there's nothing that I could do for her right now that Forest couldn't. She'll be just fine, Remy. /  
  
The Cajun didn't look convinced.  
  
*She Remy's fiancée, cher. She better be fine. *  
  
Logan let out a growl beside her.  
  
/// Am I projecting our conversation into Logan's head? ///  
  
She stared at Logan for a moment before shrugging and walking over to the front of the blackbird.  
  
/ Scott. /  
  
Scott jumped.  
  
Don't do that Jean! You scared me to death.   
  
Jean suppressed a smile at the antics of her fiancée.  
  
/ Rogue is having her baby, Scott. /  
  
Scott's brow furrowed.  
  
Will she be okay without you for a while?   
  
Jean nodded.  
  
/ Forest is with her. She can do what I could do right now. I just hope we'll complete the mission in time. /  
  
Scott sighed and ran a hand through his brown hair.  
  
I'll try to get us back in time. I don't know if I can though.  
  
Jean smiled and kissed him on the cheek.  
  
/Thanks, Scott. I knew I could depend on you. /  
  
She moved over to where 'Ro sat.  
  
/Rogue's in labor. /  
  
The African goddess opened her mouth in shock.  
  
:: The poor child! How far along is she? ::  
  
Jean considered her friend for a moment.  
  
/ Her water broke, and she's still five minutes between contractions. There's time yet. /  
  
'Ro let out a relieved sigh.  
  
The African woman was a trained midwife, having assisted in many births in the tribe she had once belonged to, thus having a lot of experience in pregnancy and childbirth.  
  
:: I hope we will be back in time to help her. ::  
  
Jean nodded, thinking over the many things that could go wrong with such a difficult situation.  
  
Rogue's mutation made things all the harder, and now there was no time for the caesarean that had been planned for her.  
  
"* People! We are nearing our destination. Listen up! *"  
  
Everyone's heads jerked up as Cyclops shouted out their orders in a commanding tone.  
  
+ + + + + +  
  
"Rogue, little one, relax, tensing up will make it hurt more. That's a good girl."  
  
Rogue let herself go limp as Forest adjusted the mound of pillows behind her back.  
  
"What...did...she say?" She asked between pants.  
  
Forest handed her a box full of ice cubes, which she accepted a little quizzically.  
  
"Jean said that you couldn't eat or drink anything, but you could chew on some ice cubes. She also said that for now you'll be fine, nothing much should happen for a few hours at least. Till then I'll be able to handle it, so just relax."  
  
Rogue moaned.  
  
"Why does...it always happen...like this for....me?"  
  
Forest smiled sympathetically and patted the girl's gloved hand.  
  
"You and Logan are alike in a lot of ways, you know."  
  
Rogue tensed up as another contraction racked her body.  
  
"H...h.....how?" She gasped as the pain slowly ebbed away.  
  
"You both have incredibly bad luck."  
  
Rogue laughed, wiping her forehead.  
  
"Ah guess you're right."  
  
She took a sliver of ice between her fingers and raised it to her lips, sucking on it thoughtfully.  
  
"Logan an me, we're the same."  
  
She felt the walls she had mentally erected crumble as she thought about the father of her child.  
  
"Oh....what am ah gonna do, Forest?" She sobbed, tears streaming down her face.  
  
"Ah already said yes. It's too late for me!"  
  
Forest shook her head.  
  
"It's never too late, little one. You love each other. You must communicate it."  
  
Rogue sniffled.  
  
"But what about R-remy?"  
  
Forest sighed.  
  
"Would it be right to marry him when your heart belongs to someone else?"  
  
Rogue shook her head slowly.  
  
"Ah g-guess you're r-right," She said, breathing deeply.  
  
She tensed as another contraction stabbed through her body, making her cry out in agony.  
  
~I hope they come soon.~ Forest thought as she soothed the anguished girl.  
  
+ + + + + + 


	7. Chapter 7

"Wolverine, are you listening?"  
  
Logan grunted.  
  
~She'll be fine. I gotta stop thinking about her.~  
  
"Yeah. Sorry."  
  
Scott sighed with frustration.  
  
"Okay, now have I got your attention people?"  
  
Jean placed a hand on his shoulder.  
  
"We're all listening, Scott," She said soothingly, using her powers to release a calming hormone into his blood as she felt his tense emotions.  
  
"Okay. We're watching the entrance to this building."  
  
He motioned to the door.  
  
"I want communication open and minds on the job people! We have to be on our toes if we're to intercept the Brotherhood on their little scheme."  
  
He paused for breath.  
  
"Remember, they have a shapeshifter, an illusionary, and a powerful psychic on their side. They could hoodwink us quite easily, and only Jean would be able to tell the difference."  
  
He motioned at the redheaded telepath that was his fiancée.  
  
"Jean, we need you to make frequent mind scans of everyone in the area. You are to alert us mentally if you detect any suspicious activity."  
  
Jean nodded.  
  
"Wolverine, you're the only one who's totally impenetrable to Psychic attacks, plus you can sniff out a shapeshifter like Mystique. Your job is to use your senses to sniff around the building and tell us if any members of the Brotherhood have paid a visit."  
  
Logan sighed and shifted his position.  
  
~Focus on the job at hand, bub.~  
  
"Colossus, you're on Boarder patrol with me. We'll be the back-up if there's an attack."  
  
The gigantic Russian man nodded, making no change in his expression as his body changed from organic steel to human flesh.  
  
"Alright, people, get to your posts! We've got a job to do!"  
  
He turned away, motioning for Colossus to follow as he trudged over the cobbled courtyard, hand hovering near his visor.  
  
Jean closed her eyes and let the minds of those around her open to her.  
  
.so hard, nobody listens.  
  
She smiled as she Scott's rambling thoughts flashed up.  
  
=Prepare, ready to mold myself at any second.=  
  
She recognized this as Colossus's thoughts.  
  
A mental block presented itself, and she recognized this barrier as Logan's Black Ops training.  
  
( Must get these reports to the.)  
  
A secretary of some sort.  
  
|The taxes have.....|  
  
[ I must call him tomorrow and....]  
  
She scanned through endless minds, picking up random thoughts as she slipped through the thousands that worked at the United Nations.  
  
She paused, however, when she skimmed across a thought that no UN worker should be thinking.  
  
{ Bastards, treat our kind like dirt, they'll pay...oh hello....time to change...}  
  
The thought slipped out of her reach as the mind in question triggered some sort of change that blocked Jean's powers.  
  
/ Scott! /  
  
Jean felt Scott's reflexive jerk.  
  
Jean?  
  
/ I found one mind....it was so hard to read and then it changed somehow....pushed me out..I think it could be Mystique! /  
  
Jean kept her eyes shut as she tried to keep track of the particular mind.  
  
Good work, Jean. Where is she?  
  
Jean struggled for a moment, finally managing to pinpoint the shape shifter's location.  
  
/ She's on the fourth floor...elevator....walking towards.../  
  
Her thought was cut off as she felt another mind override hers, freezing her mentally and psychically in the place she stood.  
  
// Well well, It seems Mystique was right. You X-men aren't as tough as you make yourselves out to be. //  
  
Jean struggled against the force that controlled her without success.  
  
"Who...are....you...?" She gasped, far beyond attempting telepathic contact with her captor.  
  
The voice laughed in her mind and she felt her body start to turn against her will.  
  
She fought, but she continued to turn until she faced the person that held her captive.  
  
A tall blonde woman with piercing blue eyes stood before her, smiling maliciously.  
  
// I am a telepathic telekinetic by the name of Emma Frost. //  
  
Jean felt the name etch itself against her will into her brain.  
  
// As you can see, I am far more powerful than you could ever dream of being. //  
  
She paused, taking a moment to phrase her speech to make it as intimidating as possible.  
  
// I am affiliated with Magneto's Brotherhood of Mutants, and I have been sent to destroy you. //  
  
She raised her hand into the air beside her and waved at the helpless redhead.  
  
// All has been said. Goodbye. //  
  
Jean's last conscious thought was of Rogue giving birth before her mind was shut down and her world fell into blackness.  
  
+ + + + + +  
  
"* AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! * "  
  
Rogue's face contorted as the pain twisted within her, making her scream in absolute agony.  
  
Forest was scared.  
  
"Shhh, Rogue, its okay....just breath...."  
  
Rogue drew in a deep breath of air as the stabs of pain resided.  
  
"Ah....it's so close....where the ...fuck...is...Jean....?!"  
  
Forest shifted nervously.  
  
"I don't know, Rogue. But she said the baby wouldn't come for hours yet."  
  
Rogue felt another contraction sear through her body, making her pound her arms into the table top, denting the metal with each blow.  
  
"Ah....it's coming....ah can't hold...it...."  
  
Panic spread across Forest's face.  
  
"You can't!"  
  
Rogue shrugged helplessly.  
  
"Ah....can't....help it...* ahhhhhhhhHHHHHHHHH! * "  
  
She writhed in pain.  
  
"Ah....it's...it has to....come out...."  
  
Forest took a deep breath and collected her wits.  
  
"Okay...alright....let me get wash my arms and get some gloves."  
  
She walked over to the supplies cabinet and pulled out the necessary equipment.  
  
"Hurry!" Rogue called after her.  
  
Forest washed her arms up to the elbows as she had seen on discovery channel, willing herself to keep her cool and not go berserk.  
  
Rogue was in the holds of another contraction by the time the botanical mutant returned.  
  
"You have to take your clothes off, and put this on." She said, holding up a hospital-like gown for her straining friend.  
  
"Okay..." Rogue said between pants.  
  
Forest helped her friend take off her shoes and dress, then slipped the gown over her shoulders, careful not to touch her with anything but her latex-covered hands.  
  
"Let's get your feet in the stirrups, okay?"  
  
Rogue nodded weakly, lifting up her legs and letting Forest slip her bare feet into the stirrups of the table.  
  
"Alright....that's done.....here, hold my hand, and when you feel the next contraction, then push. Got it?"  
  
"Got it," Rogue gasped, clutching Forest's hand in hers.  
  
"Okay...now....push! Push!"  
  
Rogue strained as the pain overwhelmed her again, and feeling as though she was trying to push out her insides, she tightened her grip on her friend's hand.  
  
"* AHHHHHHH! *" Forest screamed beside her, shooting a long tangle of vines out of the hand that Rogue was squeezing.  
  
"Sorry...." Rogue gasped.  
  
"It's okay," Forest said, wincing.  
  
"I don't think you should hold my hand anymore...."  
  
The mutant with the power of plants moved around to check how much closer Rogue was to delivering her child into the world.  
  
"I see the head!"  
  
Rogue gasped and gritted her teeth as the contraction drew up inside her.  
  
"It's out to the neck! Keep pushing! * Push! * "  
  
Rogue arched her back and used every bit of strength in her body to push, sucking in breath as the contraction let her have momentary relief.  
  
"Good! Good! You're so close, Rogue! On this next one, it's going to come out! I'll catch it! Good! Now push! As hard as you can!"  
  
Rogue strained one last time, calling on her last reserves and letting her head fall back to the table.  
  
"* AhhhhhhhhHHHHHHHHH! *"  
  
"Rogue! You did it! It's out!"  
  
Rogue lay still, gulping in as much air as would fit into her lungs in each breath.  
  
She was barely aware of Forest moving around as she made sure the baby's airways were clear, then tied a knot in the umbilical cord and severed it with a sterilized instrument she found laid out on the table, noting in passing that the child was a boy.  
  
She found a soft blanket to wrap the newborn in, tucking it gently around the infant before carrying it over to its exhausted young mother.  
  
"Rogue....congrats....it's a boy....he's so cute."  
  
Rogue blinked and smiled.  
  
"Just like he said," She murmured, then held out her arms to the woman holding her baby.  
  
"Can ah see him?"  
  
Forest carefully lowered the newborn into Rogue's arms, then stepped back, watching Rogue smile as she gazed upon her offspring's face for the first time.  
  
"Hi there," Rogue said softly to her son, feeling the smile spread as the eyes that were so new turned their look on her.  
  
"Your name's Ryan, shugah," She cooed.  
  
"Ah'm you're momma."  
  
"M-momm-ma," A tiny voice said.  
  
Rogue and Forest gasped in surprise.  
  
"D-did he just s-say m-mom-ma?" Rogue asked, dumbstruck.  
  
"M-momma." The voice repeated.  
  
"I think he did!" Forest exclaimed as she saw Ryan's lips move to form the words.  
  
"Well ah'll be---better not swear, ah guess," Rogue said.  
  
"Momma." Ryan struggled to move his arms from the blanket that held them in.  
  
"Yeah, shugah, ah'm your momma," Rogue said softly, then realized he needed her milk.  
  
'What should ah do? Ah think he's hungry." Asked Rogue, uncertain.  
  
"What-oh, right, your skin..."  
  
Rogue thought a moment before pulling a glove off of her pale hand with her teeth.  
  
"Ah'll touch him, to see if ah can, for less than ah second, ah can pull back before ah hurt him if mah powers start working."  
  
Forest nodded and crossed her fingers as Rogue ventured to brush one fingertip against Ryan's cheek.  
  
They both let out a sigh of relief as nothing happened.  
  
"Ah can touch him!" Rogue exclaimed, feeling her eyes brim and overflow with tears of joy.  
  
"Momma...hungry..." Ryan said, managing to bring one arm out of his snug wrapping.  
  
"Alright, Ryan, go ahead," Rogue said, pulling up the gown to give her son access.  
  
+ + + + + + + +  
  
Scott shook his head with a frown.  
  
Jean? Jean? * Jean! *   
  
"* Jean! * "  
  
Colossus glanced at his teammate, concerned.  
  
"What's wrong?"  
  
Scott ran a hand through his hair.  
  
"Jean located Mystique."  
  
The Russian man named Piotr smiled.  
  
"But that's good!"  
  
Scott nodded without enthusiasm.  
  
"Yeah, it's good, but I lost contact with Jean before she could tell me where Mystique was."  
  
Colossus stopped smiling.  
  
"Is she alright?"  
  
Scott shrugged.  
  
"That's what I'm worried about."  
  
He sighed and touched his wristband.  
  
"Cyclops to Jean! Jean, do you read me?"  
  
"You are wasting your time."  
  
Scott looked up to see a brown haired man of average height and stature standing before them.  
  
Behind him lay the body of the redheaded psychic.  
  
"* Noo! Jean! *" Scott cried, running to corpse of his fiancée and cradling it in his arms.  
  
"Jean! Get up! You've got to! Jean!" A tear rolled down his cheek from beneath his red visor.  
  
Colossus frowned.  
  
"Scott, I don't see---"  
  
He paused halfway through his sentence as something appeared in the corner of his eye.  
  
"Illyana!" He shouted, watching something only his eyes could see with horror.  
  
"No! Don't! * Illyana! * "  
  
Suddenly Colossus stopped and turned to the man.  
  
"Wait...Illyana is in Russia....."  
  
Scott's words came back to him.  
  
~Remember, they have a shapeshifter, an illusionary, and a powerful psychic on their side. They could hoodwink us quite easily, and only Jean would be able to tell the difference.~  
  
"Scott! Scott!" He yelled.  
  
"It's a trick! An illusion!"  
  
Scott looked from Colossus to the man.  
  
"Mastermind," He said, raising his hand to the button on his visor.  
  
Before he could press it, a bolt of energy hit him in the back and sent him sprawling across the cobblestone.  
  
Mastermind looked up.  
  
"There you are, Wanda! Where have you been?!"  
  
The woman called Wanda landed on the ground and walked towards her accomplice.  
  
"I still got here on time," She said, tossing her long black hair defiantly.  
  
Scott groaned from his place on the ground.  
  
"I didn't want to have to do that, Cyclops," She said sadly. "If only you would join us."  
  
"Never," Said Scott, sitting up.  
  
"Then we shall have to deal with you as enemies. I am truly sorry."  
  
She stretched out her hand and cast a devastating hex bolt at the Leader of the X-men, which barely missed him as he rolled out of the way.  
  
"Colossus! Help me out!" He hissed at Piotr, seeing the Russian man standing idly.  
  
"Oh, sorry," He said, his form melding into Organic steel.  
  
Colossus threw a punch at Wanda, who was also known as the Scarlet Witch, giving Scott time to press the button on his visor.  
  
A blast of red light hit the Scarlet Witch, sending her flying into a pillar that supported the building.  
  
"Shouldn'ta done that, Cyclops," Said a familiar twangy voice with an English accent.  
  
Scott turned to see a small green frog-like man, accompanied by a massive, almost invulnerable mutant known as the Blob.  
  
"Fuck...." Scott said in a hoarse whisper.  
  
+ + + + + 


	8. Chapter 8

Rogue gazed on the sleeping face of her son lovingly, admiring the light brownish fuzz of hair on his head that turned to white in the front.  
  
"He's going to have your hair, Rogue," Forest whispered.  
  
Rogue smiled and stroked the back of the blanketed bundle gently.  
  
"He has his daddy's eyes, too." She whispered back.  
  
Forest grinned.  
  
"I wonder if he'll have his temper," She said, repressing a giggle.  
  
Rogue felt a giggle rise inside her too at the thought of a miniature Wolverine.  
  
"Ah wonder what his powers are," Rogue said when the giggles had passed.  
  
Forest smiled.  
  
"You two make quite the combination of genes," She whispered.  
  
Rogue sighed as the problem of the ring on her hand resurfaced in her mind.  
  
Forest noticed her twisting the ring and patted the young mother's shoulder.  
  
"Don't worry about it---deal with it when they get back. There's no reason to fret."  
  
Rogue nodded, feeling a lump rise in her throat at the thought of not being with Logan.  
  
"Speaking of them getting back---I wonder where they are?"  
  
Forest walked to the window and peered out.  
  
"They've been gone for such a long time."  
  
A worry rose in Rogue's heart as she realized how many hours had gone by without Logan and the others returning to safety.  
  
"Yeah, it's been quite a while, shugah," She whispered.  
  
"Should I try to contact Jean with the communicator?"  
  
Rogue pondered a moment.  
  
The trouble was over, the baby was delivered and safe in his mother's arms, but she was getting worried.  
  
"Why not, shugah? Go ahead."  
  
She hovered to the crib and placed her sleeping son down carefully.  
  
"We'll go to the doorway so we don't wake Ryan."  
  
Forest picked up the radio and moved to the doorway, watching as the mother of a son three hours old flew silently to where she stood and shaking her head.  
  
"You're lucky you're invulnerable, Rogue," She said with wonder as the young mother settled beside her.  
  
"Sure am, shugah," She returned.  
  
"Now let's get it ovah with, huh?"  
  
Forest raised the communicator to her mouth and spoke into it softly.  
  
"Hello? Jean? Anybody?"  
  
They waited for a response, but other than the crackle of the radio, they heard nothing.  
  
Then...  
  
"Bloody 'ell, she has a radio or something!"  
  
There was a shuffle of noises before the distinctive click of the communicator being turned off reached their ears, and all was silent.  
  
Rogue finally spoke, feeling her heart drop into her feet.  
  
"That-that was Toad. He works for the Brotherhood," She said in a flat tone.  
  
Forest looked pale.  
  
"They've got her," She whispered hoarsely.  
  
"They've got them."  
  
Rogue bit her lip as a thought came into her mind.  
  
"They've got Logan," She said, balling up her fists.  
  
Forest covered her mouth with her hands in horror as realization dawned on her.  
  
"Oh, my..."  
  
Rogue pounded one fist against the other.  
  
"We've got to help them!" She said determinedly.  
  
"We can't let the Brotherhood hurt them!"  
  
Forest shook her head.  
  
"Oh, Rogue, there's nothing we can do!" She said sadly.  
  
"Yes there is. Ah'm gonna save them."  
  
Forest looked shocked.  
  
"Rogue, you can't be thinking of leaving your newborn son all alone!"  
  
Rogue pondered for a moment.  
  
"Then he's coming with me."  
  
Forest looked outraged.  
  
"You can't take a baby in a battle, Rogue! He'll be hurt! He'll be killed!"  
  
Rogue sobered at that thought.  
  
"Then ah'll have to leave him here with you, shugah."  
  
She glanced back at the crib, aching at the thought of leaving him for even a moment, but she had to save his father from the enemy.  
  
It was her duty.  
  
"There's a couple bottles of milk stored away in that unit, give one to him if he starts fussing."  
  
Forest nodded.  
  
She flew back to the side of his crib, reaching in and picking up the sleeping newborn gently.  
  
Holding him to her chest, she kissed his downy-covered head softly before placing him back in his soft cocoon of blankets.  
  
"See yah, Ryan," She cooed before turning back to Forest.  
  
"Watch him for me, Forest," She said as she looked at her friend in the eye.  
  
"I'll do my very best," Said Forest as her friend swept by.  
  
"Good luck."  
  
Rogue paused at the door.  
  
"Thanks---ah'm gonna need it."  
  
Then she was gone.  
  
+ + + + + +  
  
Logan paused to take a whiff of the surrounding evening air, trying to stay focused and keep his mind off Rogue and their baby.  
  
~Ground, Sea breeze, the remainders of a black forest ham on rye sandwich, vanilla perfume.Rogue likes Vanilla.~  
  
He sighed as he remembered the scent of her hair.  
  
  
  
~Whoa, bub, mind on the job! Okay okay I can do this...A group of people where smoking there....no mutants....wait there was one.~  
  
He took another breath.  
  
  
  
~Kind of manly....with an undertone of female mutant....~  
  
He grinned wolfishly.  
  
"Gotcha, Mystique," He said in a whisper as he began to track the trail of the shape shifter.  
  
He wove his way across the courtyard in this manner, pausing every once and again to reaffirm that he was still on the tracks of the metamorphic mutant.  
  
He stopped suddenly.  
  
~New scent,~ He thought, taking a deeper smell. ~Sabertooth!~  
  
He growled and felt his knuckles itch as he recognized the smell of his sworn enemy, a huge feral-like mutant with powers very similar to his own.  
  
  
  
~She met that bastard here.and shifted too, by the smell.~  
  
A loud click caught his attention.  
  
"Hello, Wolverine," Said Mystique with a malicious grin.  
  
"We meet again."  
  
Logan turned slowly to face the shape shifter, gritting his adamantium- laced teeth angrily.  
  
"Mystique," He hissed.  
  
The shape-shifting mutant held a cocked gun aimed straight for his head, her hand playing lightly on the trigger as she took a step towards him.  
  
"You're losin' your touch, 'stique, if'n you think you can take me down with that ole' piece'a crap."  
  
He said, nodding at her firearm scornfully.  
  
Mystique smiled.  
  
"This here 'piece of crap' is actually a powerful piece of weaponry, Wolverine. Its impact is about equal to the force of a small Nuclear bomb going off. Latest technology." "  
  
He growled.  
  
"An you're hopin' to tear a hole in a head laced with indestructible metal an' a healin' factor?"  
  
He chuckled.  
  
"I wish you luck, ya crazy blue bitch."  
  
He felt his lips curl into a snarl as the huge silhouette of his most hated foe joined the blue metamorph known as Mystique.  
  
"Sabertooth," He growled, letting the claws concealed in his forearms break free to relieve the persistent itch in his knuckles.  
  
"Wolverine," Sabertooth returned with a sneer.  
  
The hair on Logan's neck rose as he glared at his old enemy, feeling the urge to kill rising with every breath he took.  
  
"Thought you were dead, Creed."  
  
Sabertooth grinned manically.  
  
"Disappointed?"  
  
Logan growled.  
  
"Very."  
  
Mystique cleared her throat, obviously impatient to get her job over with.  
  
"Victor, we've got other orders. Let's keep it quick."  
  
Her hand caressed the trigger longingly as she took another step towards Logan, her yellow eyes flashing as though daring him to make a move.  
  
She stopped when she was about three feet away from him, and grinned suddenly as an idea stuck her.  
  
"Let's make it hurt the most," She said as she used her powers to morph. "....shugah."  
  
Logan swallowed noisily as he took in the figure of the brown haired woman he loved so much, complete with the trademark white streaks.  
  
"Rogue...." He whispered hoarsely before his logic kicked in.  
  
~Fuck, she's not Rogue!~ He thought, angry at his reaction.  
  
He raised a fistful of adamantium with a growl, fighting his natural instincts.  
  
  
  
~She's not my mate! She's Mystique!~  
  
The Rogue look-alike grinned as she watched him furrow his brow, seeing the uncertainty in his eyes as his emotions battled inside him.  
  
"That's it Logan....shugah..." She crooned in Rogue's southern honey accent as Logan's hands began to shake and one by one the claws slid back in.  
  
He shook his head.  
  
"You're.Mystique....no....you're....not my...Rogue...."  
  
He inhaled sharply through his nose, letting the altered scent of the shape shifter clear his brain from the clouded battle of instincts and logic.  
  
"MYSTIQUE!" He roared, popping all his metal-laced claws at once and springing at the metamorph with murder in his mind.  
  
Mystique shrieked and in reflex she reverted to her natural form, her eyes blazing yellow and her skin a cool glistening blue.  
  
Logan hit the metamorphic mutant hard and as one they rolled to the ground, a tangle of limbs as they struggled for their lives and victory for their team.  
  
"Victor! Help me!" Mystique shrilled, morphing every few seconds in an attempt to find a form that would give her leverage against the feral mutant with claws that battled her.  
  
Sabertooth grinned stupidly and let Mystique get a few scratches from Logan's claws before stepping in to help his associate.  
  
He grabbed the smaller Logan by the wrists and dangled him in the air.  
  
"You know what I'm gonna do after I finish with you?" He leered.  
  
Logan growled and struggled to free himself.  
  
"Well, I'm gonna go to your lil home and tear your lil girlfriend....what's her name....oh yeah...Rogue....from limb ta limb.....after I'm finished * enjoyin *' her, of course...."  
  
Logan roared.  
  
"You * sick * bastard!"  
  
Sabertooth's features lit up with an insane grin.  
  
"Then I'm gonna take your lil kid...."  
  
He leaned forward and whispered his twisted plans into Logan's sensitive ears, laughing at the horrified expression that spread across his adversary's face.  
  
"Victor! Stop playing with him and do your job! We have to go!" Called Mystique.  
  
Sabertooth snarled.  
  
"Fine, fine!"  
  
He lifted the smaller man into the air and dashed him against the cobblestone with enough force to knock out an elephant, let alone a mutant.  
  
Logan's claws automatically retracted as the impact rendered him unconscious.  
  
  
  
+ + + + + 


	9. Chapter 9

Rogue closed her eyes as the cool breeze wove its fingers through her brown hair, making the white streaks float playfully about her face.  
  
She reveled in the amazing sensation of traveling through the air, unsupported and unassisted, the feeling of weightlessness indescribable.  
  
In other words, she loved it.  
  
She lingered on the word. ~Love.~  
  
Right now she loved so many things---Ryan, the X-men, flying, Logan...  
  
She'd never had so much love in her life before, always being cast out and abandoned in every situation, abhorred and disinherited by those she loved for what she was---a mutant.  
  
Coming to Xavier's school was probably the best thing that had ever happened to her in her young life, being able to be herself amongst people with gifts like her.  
  
No, on second thought, the best thing had been meeting Logan.  
  
She remembered the way they'd met.  
  
She'd felt excluded from the close-knit group of friends, being a total stranger and not having the best previous affiliations, so she'd withdrawn into herself, sitting down in dark corners to observe the activities and envy the happy people around her.  
  
It hadn't helped that the woman whose psyche and powers she'd absorbed, Carol Danvers, had battled her mind for control of her body, making her even more hesitant to make attachments for the fear that Carol would gain the upper hand and would strike at all those who she'd bonded with to hurt her.  
  
On one such episode she'd flown outside and attempted to end it all by drowning herself in the lake beside the mansion, tear blurred eyes making it hard for her to see her way.  
  
Fortunately, Logan had been on the veranda, smoking a cigarette, and upon seeing her shoot in obvious distress to the lake, he'd ran after her and pulled her oxygen deprived body out of the water and revived her with an improvised form of CPR.  
  
She'd sworn a blue streak at him for ruining her chances at dieing, breaking into tears halfway through and ending up in an embrace with the strange gruff-looking man.  
  
They'd always been close friends after that, and on a mission to the Savage Lands, they became more than just friends, starting a new life in the untamed jungle wilderness.  
  
A life they called Ryan.  
  
She sighed as she thought of her newborn son whom she'd had to leave at the mansion.  
  
~I hope he's okay,~ she thought, veering slightly in her flight to avoid a tall building.  
  
~That was close! I better focus on the job before I go squat like a bug.~  
  
After a while, she recognized the shape of the UN buildings, having visited them with Jean and Storm on a field trip for the younger students, years before when she'd been a teen of lesser digits.  
  
She smiled at the thought of being so naïve and carefree.  
  
Well...not exactly carefree.  
  
Being a mutant in a mutant-hating world had deprived her of that many years ago, making her wary and forcing her to hide her skin from all who would touch her.  
  
She frowned.  
  
~My son will never have to be ashamed of what he is,~ she thought with conviction.  
  
~He can be proud of being a mutant.~  
  
She hovered close to the ground, scanning it carefully for signs of her friends, searching for the scorch marks of Pyro' s mastered flames, or the telltale ice slicks of Iceman's powers, amongst other things.  
  
But there was nothing to be seen, save well-manicured gardens and elegant buildings.  
  
She shook her head, frustrated.  
  
~How could a whole group of people disappear so completely without leaving a trace?~ She wondered.  
  
Then she spotted it.  
  
She floated down to earth to examine the half-scorched ace of hearts that belonged to her fiancée, Remy.  
  
Picking it up, she studied it carefully.  
  
It was burnt around the edges, and there were four round charred spots on one side.  
  
Turning it over, she revealed a large fifth mark.  
  
~His fingers,~ she realized, running her gloved hands over the blackened and still slightly warm paper.  
  
An idea occurred to her.  
  
  
  
~Would it work?~  
  
  
  
She yanked the glove off her hand and placed her fingers over the warm spots that Remy had semi-charged, praying to whatever Gods ruled above that the pull would begin.  
  
She sighed in relief as thoughts foreign to her mind clouded her head, and the card beneath her fingers began to glow with energy as her borrowed powers put themselves to work.  
  
Memories flashed before her eyes, telling her all she needed to know in a short period of time.  
  
She gritted her teeth as through Gambit's eyes she saw the super speeding mutant known as Quicksilver run over her bubbly friend, Jubilee.  
  
She relived Gambit's memories of seeing Mastermind overcome the serene weather goddess Storm with a simple illusion of being trapped in the rubble of her home with her dead mother as a mere five-year-old girl after bombs had raided her city.  
  
She felt the agony as Mystique took on the form of Wolverine and with a well placed punch of her fist sunk three nine inch claws through Gambit's armor to his vulnerable side.  
  
She witnessed the psychic Emma Frost effortlessly defeat Iceman, making him encase his teammates in a wall of ice as she commanded his panic-stricken mind.  
  
She watched the chaos of the X-men's defeat, seeing the unconscious and half-dead bodies that littered the now-spotless cobblestone, seeing pools of dark blood and hearing screams split the frosty air.  
  
And she heard the blue metamorph Mystique shout out orders and directions as to where to take her limp and lifeless teammates.  
  
A snowflake floated down from the sky, landing on her nose and startling her out of the stupor she had fallen into with its cool wetness.  
  
She shook herself mentally and took flight, plotting her enemy's deaths all the while.  
  
+ + + + + +  
  
"....have you checked on the hostages yet....might have woken up...you should...."  
  
Logan groaned as his sense of hearing slowly returned, making the conversation fade in and out, like a fly buzzing to your ear and then away.  
  
The sound of footsteps approached.  
  
"Nope, none of them are up yet," The voice said loudly.  
  
Logan listened until the footsteps had retreated before putting a hand to his throbbing head.  
  
~Where the hell am I?~ He thought as the smells started to penetrate his nose.  
  
He opened his eyes slowly, taking in his dark surroundings with confusion.  
  
  
  
~A.barn? Some kind of warehouse?~  
  
The first guess seemed to be the most accurate, as he blew a tendril of hay from his mouth and noticed that the floor was covered in it.  
  
He heard someone sniffle behind him and he slowly turned his head to see the producer of the sound.  
  
The young American Asian girl called Jubilee met his sight, tears rolling down her cheeks and her knees pulled up to her yellow pleather covered chest.  
  
"Jubes?" He whispered, afraid of attracting their captors' attention.  
  
"Wolvy," She hiccupped softly.  
  
"You're awake."  
  
She wiped her nose.  
  
"Where are we?" Logan asked softly.  
  
"I dunno," She whispered back.  
  
"Dude, why are we whispering?"  
  
Logan sighed inaudibly.  
  
"We don't want 'em to know we're awake."  
  
"Oooooooh," She said, comprehension dawning.  
  
"And why don't we want 'em to know we're awake?"  
  
Logan ran a hand through his unruly black hair impatiently.  
  
~How slow is she?~ He thought, gritting his teeth.  
  
"Kid, in any situation where you don't know what's goin' on, stay the way you were as long as possible till you figure things out."  
  
Jubilee pondered this for a moment.  
  
"So what's going on here exactly, dude?"  
  
Logan snarled.  
  
"Do I have to spell it out for you? I said, I * don't * know!"  
  
Jubilee put on a mock-offended face.  
  
"Wow, dude, like just chill, 'k? You're like way too serious man."  
  
Logan slapped his forehead noiselessly.  
  
"I can't * believe * you made it on the team, kid."  
  
Jubilee looked outraged.  
  
"Hey! I'm a great team player! * Aaaand * I'm * not * a kid, dude," She said with all the authority of her lifetime of fifteen years.  
  
Logan snorted.  
  
"You're right. You're not a kid. You're even less!"  
  
Jubilee glared at the feral man.  
  
"Hey, dude, you got a death wish or something?" She asked, pulling down her ski goggles.  
  
"Cuz if you keep talking like that, I'll make you shit sparks for the next three months!"  
  
She held up a blue-gloved hand in threat.  
  
"I'm sure you will," Said Logan in a humorous tone.  
  
"Okay dude, that's it," Jubilee said, getting to her feet.  
  
"Let's hack it out right now!"  
  
Logan grinned and popped a middle claw, holding it up at her.  
  
"* Hey! * You don't flash the finger at Jubes and get away with it! Get over here, mister!"  
  
"Cut it out you two," Said Scott dryly.  
  
"Well well, I see our favorite one-eye is up an' at it," Shot Logan with a challenge in his voice.  
  
"Yeah, whatever Logan, we've got more important things to deal with right now."  
  
Scott scanned the hay-covered floor.  
  
"Where's Jean?"  
  
"Over here, Scott," A voice said softly from the opposite corner.  
  
He crawled over to his red headed fiancée.  
  
"Are you hurt?" He asked in a worried tone.  
  
"No, thankfully, but my powers are out for a bit...that Frost woman blocked them temporarily."  
  
He sighed with relief and frustration.  
  
"Is everyone else here? Is anyone hurt?" He asked, getting his act together.  
  
A tumble of voices replied in whispered tones, and after a few moments he ascertained that everyone was here and mostly uninjured.  
  
"Remy be more worried about his cher," Said Remy softly, fingering the tear in his armor.  
  
Logan felt a growl rise in his throat.  
  
~She's mine!~ He thought, the Wolverine in him almost overwhelming his control.  
  
~No, she's not,~ He rationalized. ~And it's your fault, bub.~  
  
Jubilee glanced over at Remy, puzzled.  
  
"Why r'ya worried 'bout Rogue, Remy?" She asked.  
  
"She be havin' de baby with no one der to help her, non?" He said carelessly, lost in his thoughts.  
  
Jubilee bounced up and down.  
  
"She's having it now?! The baby?! And you didn't * tell * me?! * DUDE *! That is like so * not * cool!" She squeaked.  
  
"Shhhhhh!" The room said, putting their fingers to their lips at the noisy yellow-clad Asian teen.  
  
"Well sorr-eeeeeee!" Jubilee said, rolling her eyes.  
  
"Is she really having it now, Remy?" Asked Kitty shyly.  
  
He nodded.  
  
"Oh, that's so wonderful," She said softly.  
  
"You must be so proud."  
  
At that moment Jubilee happened to glance at Logan.  
  
"Wolvy, dude, stop it with the evil eye thing, 'k? It's like, totally freaking me out!"'  
  
Logan growled softly.  
  
"Riiiiight," Jubilee said as he glared at her.  
  
"Okay, stop it, I'm warning you...."  
  
She held up a hand, ready to paff the feral looking man should he pose a threat.  
  
He shook his head and looked the other way, trying to gather his thoughts before he went animal on the penned-up group of battle weary X-men.  
  
~Fuck, why didn't I tell her sooner,~ He thought sadly.  
  
Jean noticed his sad expression and looked at him comfortingly.  
  
Logan noticed her gazing his way and he felt his stomach flutter.  
  
  
  
~Does she know?~  
  
Jean picked up this thought.  
  
~My powers must be coming back,~ She realized.  
  
/ Rogue told me. I know you're the father, Logan. /  
  
Logan looked uneasy.  
  
* Please don't tell anyone. *  
  
He lowered his hazel eyes to the hay-covered floor.  
  
* I don't want anyone else to think I ~used~ her *  
  
Jean caught his meaning and ruffled through the memories he offered.  
  
She shook her head.  
  
/ I understand. I haven't and won't tell anyone. The only other person who knows is 'Ro. She's sworn to secrecy./  
  
Logan let out a sigh of relief.  
  
He had been worried that everyone would find out and be outraged by the fact that he had misled a young girl, even thought he hadn't meant to.  
  
He could easily imagine Jubilee's reaction to the identity of the child's other parent.  
  
Jean hid a giggle behind her hand as she picked up on the Logan's idea of Jubilee finding out who Rogue had slept with.  
  
  
  
~Thinking of parents, I should send Rogue a thought!~  
  
She closed her eyes and concentrated on sliding into the correct mind, that of her super-empowered friend.  
  
A moment later she opened them, startled, as she registered Rogue's presence to be just outside the building!  
  
++++++ 


	10. Chapter 10

Rogue shot towards the abandoned duplex of buildings with murder on her mind.  
  
~If they so much as touched my Logan..~ She thought, gritting her teeth and clenching her outstretched fists.  
  
The snow was falling heavier now, and it was making it harder for her to see where she was going.  
  
"Where are ya when ah need ya, 'Ro?" Rogue muttered sadly to herself as she thought of her friend that had gifts of controlling the elements of nature.  
  
She stopped, hovering in the air as she struggled to make out some sign of the old barn through the white flurries that floated down from the sky, covering her shoulders and hair with white powder.  
  
"There it is," She said as she spotted the old building.  
  
She drifted closer to the duplex, watching carefully for guards as she hovered near, making her battle-and- rescue plans.  
  
/ Rogue?! /  
  
Rogue startled as a voice called her name loudly, looking around in all directions before realizing that the voice spoke inside her head, originating from another mind.  
  
Jean's mind.  
  
~Jean?~  
  
She felt the telepathic redhead's confusion.  
  
/ What are you doing here? /  
  
~You guys got yaselves in trouble, ah'm here to get you out, shugah,~  
  
/ What about- /  
  
~Mah baby? Already had 'im, shugah, he's back with Forest at the mansion~  
  
She bit her lip.  
  
~How is Logan shugah? Is he okay?~  
  
/ He's fine. Bickering with Jubilee and making fun of Scott, as usual. /  
  
Rogue let out a sigh of relief.  
  
~Sounds like 'im, shugah,~ She thought with a grin.  
  
~Everyone else okay?~  
  
Rogue felt Jean's nod.  
  
/ We're all okay, Rogue, maybe some bruises but we're all right, thank heavens. /  
  
Rogue brushed a floating strand of hair out of her eyes.  
  
~That's good, shugah, cuz ah'm coming to bust yah out.~  
  
Jean was about to reply when another floating figure caught the corner of Rogue's emerald green eye.  
  
~Sorry shugah, ah gotta go. Tell Logan that ah'm okay and that the baby is a boy. ~  
  
/ I will. Be careful.... / Her friend sighed before closing down the link between them.  
  
Rogue turned to face her opponent, her eyes widening as she recognized the blonde-haired woman wearing a black uniform with a golden lightening stripe down the front.  
  
"Carol?" She asked weakly.  
  
++++++  
  
"Hello, Rogue," Carol said icily as she looked haughtily at the girl who had taken so much from her.  
  
She still felt the deathly cold fingers grab her face in her nightmares, still felt her life flash before her eyes as the young girl with a white streak in her hair sucked out her life and powers through her skin.  
  
It had taken her two long years to wake up out of the coma, and another two for therapy and rehabilitation, struggling to connect her memories and build herself back together from scratch.  
  
She wanted revenge.  
  
Rogue's heart fluttered in fear as she looked at the super empowered woman who hovered not ten meters away from her, the wind playing with her golden blonde hair, making it billow and flow about her, her eyes narrowed and calculating.  
  
Lowering her own eyes, Rogue pushed a cheek-length strand of white hair behind her ear, memories of Carol's memories playing in her head.  
  
She no longer had Carol's mind in her head, losing it a while ago in an event she preferred not to think about, but which was known as the Siege Perilous.  
  
Shuddering slightly, she looked back at the woman formerly called Ms. Marvel, her chest constricting.  
  
"I see you're surprised to see me," Carol said, breaking the silence that had fallen between them.  
  
"Ah-ah.....Carol.....ah didn't mean t'...."  
  
"No one ever means to," Carol interrupted. "But you still did it."  
  
Rogue swallowed noisily.  
  
"It wasn't all good for me eitha, Carol. Do you think ah * liked * having someone else's mind in mah head?"  
  
She paused for breath.  
  
" Ah was pushed into it ! Ah didn't want to cause you trouble Carol! It was for ma team!"  
  
Carol smirked, raising a hand into the air in front of her.  
  
"And this is for * my * team, too."  
  
A blast of pure energy engulfed Rogue before she had time to think, hurling her backwards through the air until her momentum slowed, and she hurtled towards the ground.  
  
Her body hit the pavement hard.  
  
"Weren't expecting that, where you now, Rogue?" Asked Carol triumphantly as she gazed on her downed opponent with satisfaction.  
  
"My name is Warbird, warrior of the skies! Feel the power of my wrath!"  
  
She shot down to Rogue's prone figure and began to batter her opponent, rage taking over her mind and body and giving her the revenge she so yearned for.  
  
Finally Carol turned, the fire in her veins dieing as she took to the skies once more.  
  
"We're even now, you life-sucking bitch," She murmured.  
  
"Not quaite yet, Carol," A voice drawled.  
  
Before the woman with billowing blonde hair could turn, Rogue shot through the air and hit her adversary in the back at the speed of sound.  
  
Carol yelled as she flew through the air, finally sliding to a stop.  
  
"Ah believe ah owe you for that explosion thing." Rogue said as she flew after Carol, fists clenched and teeth gritted.  
  
Seeming to have regained her composure, Carol swung a punch at her oncoming opponent, hitting her in the face while letting out a war cry.  
  
"Ugh ! " Rogue shouted, forced backwards by the powerful knock.  
  
Carol took the opportunity to draw energy from around her, and as Rogue advanced again she let out another blast of power.  
  
Rogue screamed as the air in front of her exploded into fiery light, barely missing her and singeing her red and green uniform.  
  
" You can't win, you power thief! As Ms. Marvel, I was vulnerable to high- energy weapons....with my powers versus yours, you have no chance!"  
  
Carol let out a charge of photonic energy to emphasize her words, which Rogue saw in time to duck, making it miss her head and explode above her, interrupting her planning.  
  
~What am I gonna do?!~ Rogue thought helplessly as she swerved to avoid yet another blast and managed to knock a punch at her nearly invincible opponent.  
  
~She's got powers equal to me.and she'll do me in with those blasts. The only thing left.~  
  
She bit her lip and avoided a booted heel aimed for her face.  
  
  
  
~But I don't want to get Carol's psyche again!~ She thought, remembering how hard it had been to cope with the last absorption.  
  
Her mind was quickly made up when Carol's figure began to glow as she charged for a powerful blast.  
  
~It's the only way,~ She thought as she began to pull off a glove.  
  
~I can just hang on for a moment and knock her out, get her powers temporarily.~  
  
She shot forward, one raised hand exposing the dangerous skin that would allow her victory.  
  
"No !" Carol's eyes widened as Rogue's hand grabbed her face.  
  
"Not again! No! No! NOOO!" She cried, unable to resist as the pull zapped away her powers and she felt her consciousness slip away into the familiar darkness of a Rogue-induced coma.  
  
+ + + + +  
  
Rogue pulled back her hand, breaking the contact as her opponent's figure went limp.  
  
Memories flooded her brain, old and new, scenes often thought of flashing before her mind's eye and thoughts invading her thoughts.  
  
She watched the blonde-haired woman begin to fall as her powers failed her, sending her hurtling closer and closer to the ground, her limbs flapping lifelessly.  
  
  
  
~What are you waiting for? Save me! Stop me!~  
  
Rogue battled against Carol's psyche, clutching her head and trying to subdue the mind within hers.  
  
She didn't notice her hands begin to glow, too busy thinking her opponent down.  
  
Some sudden reflex made her hold her hands away from her body, and she shrieked as a well-charged blast exploded in the air in front of her.  
  
The sudden shock cleared her mind and left her with a new sense of purpose.  
  
~I gotta get them outta there,~ She thought, a plan forming in her head. ~And these powers are gonna help me.~  
  
+ + + + + 


	11. Chapter 11

Jean sighed as she closed off the link between her and the young woman known only as Rogue.  
  
~She shouldn't be fighting so soon,~ She thought, worry spreading over her features like wildfire.  
  
Scott noticed this and frowned.  
  
"What's wrong, Jean?"  
  
She shook her head.  
  
/ Rogue's outside the building.she plans to bust us out. /  
  
Scott looked surprised.  
  
But she.the baby.  
  
Jean smiled grimly.  
  
/ She's delivered it, Scott. /  
  
But.shouldn't she be resting?  
  
Jean blew a strand of red hair off of her face.  
  
/ Apparently her invulnerability renders her fit to fight, from the reading I got off of her,. /  
  
Scott looked thoughtful.  
  
Well, this proves a lifesaver for us.  
  
Jean nodded and looked around the room at her battle-weary friends.  
  
Her eyes settled on Logan's wild features, reminding her of Rogue's request.  
  
/ Logan. /  
  
Logan jerked in reflex and looked at the redheaded telepath, caught unawares.  
  
^What?^ He asked mentally.  
  
/ I had a conversation with Rogue. /  
  
Logan's interest immediately perked.  
  
^How is she? Did she have him? Are they okay?^  
  
Jean smiled as Logan bombarded her with questions, sensing a million more unasked in his mind.  
  
/ She's fine Logan. And yes, she had him. How did you know it would be a boy? /  
  
Logan shrugged.  
  
^Just did. Sense thing. What else did she say?^  
  
Jean grimaced and bit her lip, knowing Logan would not take well to the information that Rogue was on the premises, ready to fight.  
  
/ I.Logan.please stay calm.Rogue is just outside the building. /  
  
"WHAT?! " Logan growled out loud, jumping up and earning himself a pained look from Jubilee.  
  
/ She came to help get us out.Logan...stay calm./  
  
Logan popped one fistful of claws, and Jean could feel the struggle raging within him.  
  
^No.*snarl*..won't.grrrowlf!.sorry..so she's outside, huh?^  
  
Jean nodded.  
  
Logan began pacing the small room up and down as the news settled in, the Wolverine in him intruding into his more logical thinking with little mental growls.  
  
He paused suddenly, holding up a hand to the room as he concentrated on his hearing.  
  
  
  
~That mumbling.was that an explosion?.yes, yes it was!~  
  
He tensed he made out Rogue's voice.  
  
Then...  
  
"NO ! *NOT* again! No! No! NOOO!"  
  
The claws slid out of his hand before he could stop them, breaking through the flesh between his knuckles with a loud metallic *snikt*.  
  
~That was that Marvel woman,~ He thought, gritting his teeth.  
  
He knew Rogue's history of absorbing Carol's powers and the long waged war of her mind against Carol's absorbed persona.  
  
What Carol had just said could only mean one thing.  
  
~Rogue touched her.~ He thought, panic flooding his veins. ~Oh my god, she touched her.~  
  
He cradled his face with his hands, the claws disappearing into his forearms as the rage in him was cooled off by pure worry and fear.  
  
"Oh Rogue....Rogue...." He mumbled under his breath.  
  
Jean picked up the worry from across the room and her mouth opened as she read Logan's horrified mind.  
  
She too remembered the endless agonizing trial Rogue had suffered from her last contact with the woman known as Ms. Marvel.  
  
"Oh.....dear...." She said, covering her mouth.  
  
+ + + + + +  
  
Rogue studied the layout of the sentries from her vantage point in the skies.  
  
The newly reorganized Brotherhood was much too strong to take on by herself, so she planned to use Carol's absorbed traits to help her in her mission.  
  
Her plan was to infiltrate the enemy's team, posing as one of them to rescue her captured friends.  
  
The best chance of doing that was with another touch, this time with the metamorphic blue-skinned mutant known best as Mystique.  
  
She watched for a while as Mystique exited the building with three of her associates, waiting until the shape shifter split off from the group to enter another structure that served an unknown purpose.  
  
~Here's my chance,~ thought Rogue as she made sure Mystique was alone.  
  
She pulled off a glove and descended as fast and noiselessly as she could, dropping to the ground right behind the metamorph and covered Mystique's mouth with her bare hand to muffle the attempted scream.  
  
The draw began and she let go, catching the blue-skinned mutant as she fell and hauling her into the unoccupied room, which turned out to be a washroom.  
  
Pulling on her glove, Rogue smirked and found some rope to tie up the shape shifter with.  
  
Sitting her down on the closed seat of the toilet, she slipped stuffed toilet paper into Mystique's unconscious mouth, her chestnut hair with the trademark white streaks turning golden blonde as she activated the powers she had absorbed from her unfortunate victim.  
  
She raised the knocked out metamorph's feet against the door to prevent detection, then locked the stall and flew out of the top to the door of the room.  
  
She peeked outside and, satisfied that no one was coming, took to the skies in the form of Carol Danvers, aka Warbird.  
  
+ + + + +  
  
"Be patient, Victor. You'll get to spill some blood as soon as you receive the order."  
  
Toad flipped his tongue out in the air to catch a passing fly, returning it to his mouth with a loud smack.  
  
Sabertooth snarled.  
  
"Why aren't they givin' the fuckin' order then?"  
  
Toad shrugged.  
  
"How 'm I supposed to know?"  
  
Sabertooth sneered.  
  
"Cuz aren't you supposed to be Magneto's right-hand man?"  
  
Toad caught another fly as he digested this remark.  
  
"No, that spot's reserved for Mystique," He said a little jealously. "I 'm more like his left-hand man."  
  
Both minions looked up as a black-clad figure swooped down from the sky and landed beside them, blonde hair flying as she made contact with earth.  
  
" 'Ello, Carol," Toad said. "Did you get revenge?"  
  
Carol glanced at Toad scornfully.  
  
"Yes and no," She said haughtily.  
  
She noticed Sabertooth's nose flare as he picked up her scent.  
  
"Why'dya smell like Wolverine's lil whore, Carol?"  
  
"Why do * you * smell like a dump, Sabertooth?" She asked, her nose crinkling in disgust.  
  
Sabertooth growled.  
  
"I asked y' a question."  
  
"Little hand-to-hand combat," She said nonchalantly to the huge mutant.  
  
His nostrils flared again but he remained silent, studying her with his pupiless amber eyes.  
  
"We should go check on the hostages," Toad said as he glanced at a watch on his wrist.  
  
Just then Sabertooth's radio crackled.  
  
"Magneto to Sabertooth, Magneto to Sabertooth, do you read me?"  
  
Sabertooth snarled.  
  
"Alright then, it's time to carry out that little job I told you about.remember DO NOT HARM THE CAPTIVE."  
  
This earned another growl from the said Sabertooth.  
  
"Magneto out."  
  
The Radio clicked off and Sabertooth pushed it back into his large parka's pocket.  
  
He then took off for his transportation.  
  
"Right," Said Toad.  
  
"We'll go check on those bloody X-men then, Carol."  
  
He hopped towards the large barn-like building and unlocked the door, not noticing Carol slip off her glove until she had clapped her hand across his mouth, cutting off his shout as she absorbed his powers and memories into herself.  
  
She removed her hand and, replacing her glove, dragged him into the room, tying him up and placing a gag in his wide frog-like mouth as she had done with Mystique.  
  
Straightening, she studied her surroundings.  
  
The sight of a large cell built into half of the room caught her eye and she moved towards it, spotting her captured friends.  
  
++++++ 


	12. Chapter 12

Author's note: eEeEeEeEeEeee~! hehe thanx to all of you who gave reviews..Lucky439, Dragonseizer, gally, ma sis Ariellefay ^-^ & anonymouse!!!  
  
On a personal note, had an interesting morning...I'm diabetic and I had an attack this morning. I went really low and passed out..mom said I convulsed in my sleep. Had to go to the hospital, but I'm OK now ~! ^-^ Anyweyz enuff about me lol go enjoy the story~and PS I loooove reviews makes me work fasta * hint hint wink wink * so..u know wut to do lol  
  
  
  
+ + + + +  
  
Logan lifted his face from his hands as a muffled yelp caught his attention.  
  
He peered into the dark room beyond the cell, trying to make out the dark blurs of movements that came from the corner of the empty space.  
  
Footsteps echoed throughout the structure as whoever it was made their way to the X-men's enclosure.  
  
The figure paused at the bars, and he made out the features of Rogue's blonde haired enemy, the dark clad Carol Danvers.  
  
His lip curled back of its own accord and he felt a growl reverberate through his figure.  
  
"You bitch, if you so much as touched Rogue...." He snarled almost inaudibly to Carol.  
  
Carol shook her head.  
  
"Logan, it's me!" Rogue hissed as she morphed back to her own form.  
  
Logan's eyes widened.  
  
"You're Mystique!" He felt the hackles on his neck rise.  
  
"No, Logan! Smell me!" She held out her arm.  
  
Logan growled but lowered his head to the extended hand and took a deep sniff.  
  
Satisfied, he looked back at her face.  
  
"Rogue?" He asked.  
  
She nodded.  
  
"It's me, shugah, ah touched Mystique, is all."  
  
He looked outraged.  
  
"You touched Mystique?! You got that bitch in your head?!"  
  
Rogue frowned.  
  
"That's not a naice thing 't say, shugah," She said disapprovingly.  
  
Logan laughed softly.  
  
"After what she did, nothin's too bad 't say 'bout her, darlin'."  
  
Rogue's eyes narrowed.  
  
"What did she do t' yah?"  
  
Logan opened his mouth then shut it quickly.  
  
~I can't tell her what she did,~ He thought.  
  
"Uhh-er---it's too personal." He stammered, a blush rising.  
  
Rogue cast him an odd look but didn't pursue the subject.  
  
"Now c'mon shugah, ah gotta get yah outta here."  
  
She wrenched at the bars.  
  
"Dammnit---they must be made of adamantium!" She huffed as she let go.  
  
He didn't answer, too busy looking at the top of the bars.  
  
"Logan, shugah, get your head outta the clouds an' help me out here!"  
  
Logan pointed to where he was looking.  
  
"No---look---the top part---it's made of wood!"  
  
Rogue glanced up.  
  
"Why so it is, shugah. Good thinkin'."  
  
She rose up into the air and smashed through the wooden portion of the top with a well-aimed fist, flying backwards to avoid the metal bars as they clanged to the ground.  
  
Her first instinct was to throw herself into Logan's arms, but in a confused moment she remembered her engagement to Remy, making her back off a step.  
  
"Ah...." She said, seeing the hurt look on his face.  
  
"Rogue....I shoulda told yah before...I..."  
  
She watched his eyes as he struggled to tell her, losing herself in the hazel depths, barely noticing when her body swayed into his.  
  
"....I...."  
  
His hands where wandering up and down her back, exploring her under her jacket through the stretch of her red and green uniform.  
  
"I-"  
  
"Rogue!"  
  
Rogue and Logan sprang apart as Scott's voice cut through their oblivion.  
  
Logan scowled as Rogue saluted Cyclops with a grin.  
  
"Hey Cyke, Rogue reporting for duty!" She said jokingly as Scott rolled his eyes behind his visor.  
  
"Rogue!" Remy called, rushing to his fiancée and scooping her into a hug.  
  
"Are you okay cher? Did de little one come?"  
  
Rogue smoothed a smile over her initial confusion.  
  
"Ah'm just fine, an' yeah, he came all raight!"  
  
Remy kissed her hair-covered head.  
  
"Have you named de petite, cher?"  
  
Rogue let out an inaudible sigh and glanced over at Logan.  
  
"Yeah ah did. His name's Ryan."  
  
Logan gave a small smile to her from the sidelines, watching her longingly as she told Remy about her son.  
  
~My son, too,~ He thought, awed by the realization. ~I'm a dad.~  
  
Scott cleared his throat.  
  
"Okay, here's the plan---Jean, Wolverine, Rogue : you're with me ; Psylocke, Gambit, Colossus : you're with Storm ; Jubilee, Kitty, Iceman : you're with Beast ."  
  
  
  
+ + + + +  
  
Logan found it hard to keep his eyes off of the red-and-green spandex clad figure that was Rogue, the mother of his first child.  
  
He fought to keep a straight face as he thought of his newborn son.  
  
The description Rogue had given him made him wish he could just drop all his duties and go meet Ryan right away; but orders where orders.  
  
Rogue caught the stiff look his features had melded themselves into.  
  
"What's wrong, shugah?" She asked, concerned.  
  
Logan couldn't suppress it any longer, and burst out grinning.  
  
"I---just thinkin' bout our son," He said.  
  
Rogue smiled back.  
  
"He's so smahrt, shugah," She said. "He was already talking when ah left."  
  
Logan whistled.  
  
"Well, 't least he has some brains," He said as he scooped her up into his arms.  
  
"Which is more than I can say for his dad."  
  
Rogue laughed and kissed him on his sideburn.  
  
"I was so stupid, Rogue," He said as he pulled back to look into her eyes, unconsciously tightening his arms around her.  
  
Rogue sighed.  
  
"Well, its over and done now, shugah," She said, running a finger down his jaw line.  
  
" T's all watah under the bridge."  
  
"Still-"  
  
/ Sorry to interrupt. But I got a reading---the Scarlet Witch is approaching you. /  
  
Logan jerked his head up.  
  
~Thanks, Jeanie~ He said mentally as he began to sniff the air.  
  
"What's wrong, shugah?"  
  
Logan broke the embrace as he popped a fist of claws.  
  
"Someone's comin'."  
  
Rogue was about to ask how he knew when an explosion occurred right beside where she stood.  
  
They jumped out of the way just in time and scanned the sky, finally spotting the black-haired woman known as the Scarlet Witch.  
  
She took aim and fired another hex bolt, this time hitting Logan in the chest and knocking him down.  
  
"Logan!" Rogue cried.  
  
"I'm fine," He gasped as the world stopped spinning.  
  
Rogue glanced up at the sky and, remembering her newly acquired powers, shot into the air towards the floating daughter of Magneto.  
  
She glowed as she charged for a blast, then, concentrating the flow to her fingertips, let loose a massive explosion of photonic energy.  
  
It clashed against the witch's hex bolt, sending orange and purple sparks flying as the different energies ignited against each other.  
  
Rogue took the opportunity to attack her adversary, ending the battle with a well-placed punch that knocked her unconscious.  
  
She caught her breath before descending back to the ground to help Logan to his feet.  
  
~Three down, six to go,~ She thought with a grin.  
  
+ + + + +  
  
Back on the ground, Storm's team was busy fighting against the other members of the brotherhood.  
  
"Can't catch me I bet, I'm too fast for you," The super-speeds mutant named Quicksilver taunted Remy as he sped around the energy-charging Cajun.  
  
Remy dealt another hand of charged cards at his adversary, gritting his teeth in frustration as they exploded too late.  
  
"Stop de runnin', non, an fight Remy like a man!"  
  
Quicksilver slid to a momentary stop.  
  
"I would if you * were * a man, Gambit!"  
  
Remy had no time to respond as the blurred figure of Quicksilver charged him at the speed of sound.  
  
He shut his eyes for the inventible collision, but soon opened them as he still stood, and watched in amazement at the suspended figure of his opponent that hung from the air.  
  
"Remy!"  
  
He glanced over to see his teammate Betsy Braddock, aka Psylocke, holding her hands to her head in deep concentration.  
  
"Don't just stand there, hit him!" She yelled, her voice wavering with strain.  
  
"I can't hold him forever!"  
  
Remy shook his head and charged the card in his hand, feeling the rush of power being released as the card began to glow.  
  
Before it could explode, he hurled it at the telekinetically supported speed demon, watching it detonate against his silver-haired opponent.  
  
"Der, dat take care of dat, * mon ami *," He mumbled as Psylocke dropped the charred figure to the ground.  
  
He looked up to the skies at the white-haired white-clad figure of the weather witch known as Storm as his radio crackled.  
  
"Storm to Gambit. Gambit, do you read?" Said the pleasantly low-toned voice with an African accent.  
  
"Loud an clear, cher."  
  
"One of the brotherhood members known as the Blob is heading our way. Prepare yourselves!"  
  
Three cards appeared in Remy's hand, almost as if by magic.  
  
"All ready, cher, bring 'em on!"  
  
He heard Psylocke gasp as the thousand pound scale-breaker appeared.  
  
"God, he's huge!"  
  
Remy nodded in agreement as the cards began to sizzle under his fingers.  
  
Suddenly, the ground began to rumble beneath their feet, making the stunned X-men lose their balance and fall to their knees.  
  
"What the hell was-"  
  
A much smaller figure stepped out from behind the mountain of flesh with a grin as he held his hands out before him, making the earth quake.  
  
"The name's Avalanche, X-geeks!"  
  
He pounded the pavement with his foot for emphasis, making the buildings wobble as the ground beneath them moved.  
  
"Somebody stop him!" Cried Psylocke as she lost her footing.  
  
Remy let fly a set of kinetically charged projectiles at the mutant who had proclaimed himself as Avalanche, who used his teammate as a body shield.  
  
Remy's eyes widened as they bounced off the blob with no effect.  
  
"Holy!" He said, unbelieving.  
  
"Dat was enough to make de whole school go boom-boom!"  
  
Psylocke didn't answer as she closed her eyes in concentration.  
  
A moment later, Avalanche let out a cry and fell to his knees, clutching his head as Psylocke detonated a mental grenade in his mind.  
  
"Good work, petite!" Remy said as the earth shaking-mutant passed out, leaving them with one less enemy to fight for their freedom.  
  
"Can you get de fat one too?"  
  
Psylocke struggled to answer him as she concentrated on shutting down the mind of the massive brotherhood member.  
  
"I...don't know....maybe if we....all try...we can...where's....Peter...?"  
  
Remy shrugged and spoke into his communicator.  
  
"Peter! Mon ami, we could use a bit of your help!"  
  
All that met their ears was static.  
  
"Dey must have gotten Peter," Said Remy as he glanced back at Psylocke.  
  
"Alright.....then....get Storm's....help...."  
  
Remy pressed a button on the circular 'X' disk that sat like a wristwatch around his wrist.  
  
"Storm! We need your help...we try to defeat de blob! Combine our efforts...."  
  
"Alright, Gambit, just give me a moment to take position..."  
  
He watched as the weather witch floated down and hovered above Blob, who was taking slow steps forward, struggling against Psylocke's mental attack.  
  
"Lightning! Strike this overgrown blob senseless!"  
  
A bolt of white electricity left the goddess's fingers and danced around the enormous mutant's frame.  
  
"Gambit! Your cards!"  
  
Remy charged another set of cards before flinging them at the reeling mound of fat and muscle, covering his singed opponent in explosions.  
  
Psylocke gathered the last of her strength and set off one of her signature mind bombs in the Blob's fat-coated brain, making him collapse at last as the mental explosion wiped him out.  
  
"We did it, cher!" Remy said, running to his friend as she sunk to the ground in exhaustion.  
  
"Uhhhh....." She moaned.  
  
The white-haired goddess of the elements descended gracefully to the ground beside them, her cloaks and arm attachments floating around her as she rushed to her teammate's aid.  
  
"Will you be alright, child?" She asked, concerned.  
  
"I think...so....it's just a headache...."  
  
Storm sighed in relief.  
  
"I can help you, child," She said, her eyes turning white as she placed a hand to Psylocke's forehead.  
  
"Frost, soothe the fiery ache in my friend's head!"  
  
A patch of frost sparkled from Storm's fingertips and onto Psylocke's head, numbing the dull pain.  
  
"Thanks," Psylocke said as her friend helped her to her feet.  
  
"It is no trouble, child. I have done it many times for Jean. Come, we must find Peter."  
  
Psylocke nodded and followed the weather witch and the Cajun thief as they proceeded to search for their giant Russian friend.  
  
+ + + + + +  
  
"This is so boring. Like, what are we here for anyway?"  
  
Jubilee whined as she picked at a spot on her glove.  
  
"Jubes! How could you ask a question like that?!" Kitty sighed at her friend's stupidity.  
  
"We were like kidnapped and now we've got to fight our way out, you dummy!"  
  
Jubilee looked embarrassed.  
  
"Oh yeah, heh, guess I-umm- forgot?"  
  
Kitty rolled her eyes and smacked her forehead.  
  
~Sometimes I can't believe I'm friends with her,~ She thought as she watched the yellow-clad Jubilee shoot off a series of paffs into the air.  
  
"Okay, so like, Hank, when are the evil dudes gonna show up?"  
  
Beast smiled a little at Jubilee's chosen phrasing.  
  
"Jubilation, I must remind you that on missions you are to refer to me as 'Beast'."  
  
Jubilee popped her gum.  
  
"Okay, sorry, Beast. Now like, dude, where the heck are these baddies?"  
  
Beast was about to reply when a voice beat him to it.  
  
/// Right here, Jubilation. ///  
  
Jubilee gasped and nearly choked on her massive wad of bubblegum.  
  
"Oh my god! Like, who's in my head?!"  
  
Kitty gave Jubilee an odd look.  
  
"Ummm.....this is just a suggestion Jubes but maybe it's your long-absent brain?"  
  
Jubilee shook her head, her face white with terror.  
  
"No! I-ahh---no---don't---"  
  
She clutched her head and let out an ear-splitting scream, the pain becoming too much for the yellow-loving Asian teenager to handle.  
  
"Jubilation?" Beast asked, concern spreading over his blue-furred animalistic features.  
  
Jubilee fell to her knees in answer.  
  
"Oh dear...." He said, rushing over to where the normally bubbly Jubilee sat droopily on the ground.  
  
She was shaking as the pain subsided.  
  
"It...hurt...so much..." She said, beginning to cry.  
  
"Where are you hurt, Jubilation?" Asked Beast.  
  
"In...in here," She sobbed, pointing at her temple.  
  
Beast stood up.  
  
"Team, I do believe the Brotherhood has made their first move. We must prepare ourselves for battle."  
  
Icy laughter floated on the air from behind him.  
  
"You wouldn't know preparation if it hit you in the face, Beast,"  
  
Beast turned to face Emma Frost and her companion.  
  
"Are you suggesting that I am incompetent, Ms. Frost? Pray tell."  
  
Emma smoothed a smile over her perfect features.  
  
"You're a fool, Henry McCoy," She said, her tone so chilling that it sent a shiver down the blue-furred Beast's back.  
  
"And my duty is to kill fools. Goodbye, McCoy, it's a pity that you can never finish finding a solution to Rogue's skin now."  
  
Beast felt the world go blank before his eyes as some more primal instinct took control.  
  
+ + + + + 


	13. Chapter 13

++++++  
  
"My god, what did she do to him?!" Shrieked Jubilee as she blocked the oncoming Beast with a shower of her fireworks, buying her time to jump out of the way by temporarily blinding him.  
  
"RrrrrrrrrARRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGG!"  
  
The possessed Beast had shied away from the blinding brightness, his eye catching another girl that stood nearby, a panicked look on her face.  
  
"Nice Beast....look....I'm your friend...it's me....Kitty...." Kitty all but begged as Beast began to advance on her, hackles up and fangs bared.  
  
"AHHH! " She screamed as he pounced.  
  
She remembered her powers at the last moment and phased right through him, shuddering as she did so.  
  
The animalistic Beast crashed to the ground, his eyes widening in surprise at missing his victim.  
  
Kitty glanced over to where the blonde haired Emma Frost stood, and then turned to her friend.  
  
"Jubilee !" She cried, pointing at Emma.  
  
Jubilee looked at Emma then at the possessed Beast, and nodded in sudden understanding.  
  
She crept up behind the occupied psychic and stuck one glove-covered finger to her neck.  
  
"Give us back our Beast, chica, or I do one of my pole benders to this here neck of yours,"  
  
Emma froze as she felt the energy flowing down through the finger, making a tiny burn on her neck as it threatened to release a blast of energy.  
  
"Aren't you a little young to be in the X-men?" She asked coolly. " You're barely older than an infant . I wouldn't think Xavier allowed toddlers on his team."  
  
Jubilee let the energy flow increase.  
  
"Let him go," She hissed at the blonde telepath.  
  
A smile crept over Emma's face as she probed the outer edges of Jubilee's mind for hurtful subjects.  
  
"Remy is marrying Rogue because she is a woman," She whispered.  
  
"He would never want a mere child like you."  
  
Jubilee felt her control slip at those words and a blast shortly followed, rendering the said Emma Frost unconscious and incapable of further battle.  
  
"That took care of that," She said nonchalantly as she stepped over the still smoking body of her former opponent, dusting off her glove-covered hands with a grin.  
  
"How's Beast?"  
  
Kitty shook herself out of her shocked daze.  
  
"I dunno. He's..."  
  
" 'He' is just fine, thank goodness," Beast's voice answered for her.  
  
"Beast!" Cried the girls simultaneously, running to their fallen friend and smothering him in a hug.  
  
"Oh-dear-careful there---ahh!" Beast said, gasping for breath amongst the rib crushing.  
  
"I---oh!---need to breath---" He managed to squeeze out.  
  
"Oh-ya---sorry about that, Hank." Jubilee said, falling back as he got to his feet.  
  
"It's quite alright, Jubilation. Now-we must inform Cyclops of our position."  
  
He pressed the X-shaped button on his wristband and held it to his mouth.  
  
"Beast to Cyclops. Cyclops, do you read?"  
  
There was a pause.  
  
"Beast---ahh---we need-help---"  
  
The sounds of metal scraping and twisting shrieked onto the receiver.  
  
"Magneto---he's here---HELP!"  
  
Beast shot a glance at the girls as the transmission ended.  
  
"Call in Iceman," He said to Kitty in a grave tone.  
  
"We're having a visitation with Magneto next, it seems."  
  
  
  
+ + + + +  
  
Logan gasped as he felt his whole skeleton shift within him.  
  
"Oh fuck..." He hissed as he felt his natural bone start to ache, making him double up in agony as his claws came out against his will.  
  
"What's wrong? Shugah?" Asked Rogue worriedly.  
  
"Mag...Mag...Magneto!" He managed to whisper between throbs.  
  
Rogue felt terror creep over every inch of her body.  
  
"A-are you s-sure shugah?" She stammered, her emerald green eyes wide with panic.  
  
"Fuck...Rogue.....the metal...in my.... body's.... movin'... I'm... pretty... damn ...sure!"  
  
He groaned as his claws splayed slightly, making his arms scream in painful protest.  
  
~Okay....okay....don't panic...stay calm...~ Rogue thought, taking a deep breath to steady her racing heart.  
  
"Can yah smell 'im out for us, shugah?" She asked him gently as he groaned again.  
  
"Don'.....don' need to," He gasped. "My....bones....are shiftin'.....that way....." His arm was more than happy to point in the direction of the pull.  
  
Logan caught a far-off scream with his sensitive hearing.  
  
"Jeanie," He gasped as his bones twisted again.  
  
"Rogue....we gotta...help 'em..."  
  
Rogue tried to ignore her immediate instinct to flee, and made herself think logically.  
  
"Of course, shugah," She said, biting her lip and wrapping her arms around Logan's waist.  
  
"C'mon, ah'll fly us there---just follow yah bones."  
  
She picked him up and took off for the skies, her passenger swallowing and trying not to look at the scenery so far below.  
  
  
  
+ + + + + + 


	14. Chapter 14

Colossus yawned and glanced at his wristwatch.  
  
The giant Russian had been ordered to keep watch on the perimeters until he received the all's clear.  
  
So far, nothing interesting had happened, unless a rat scuttling in between the dilapidated structures was a cause for alarm.  
  
He returned his gaze to his surroundings, then suddenly took another look at his watch in amazement.  
  
The hands where spinning crazily.  
  
~That's odd,~ he thought, shaking his wrist. ~It must be broken.~  
  
His radio began to crackle, shooting sparks out into the air and singeing the edges of the fabric around it.  
  
A puzzled scowl spread over his noble features.  
  
"Better safe than sorry," He murmured, his figure melting into organic steel.  
  
"Uggh!" He cried as his whole body burst into fiery pain.  
  
"What the...."  
  
Colossus fought to resist the strong pull that threatened to overwhelm him.  
  
"Must....reform..."  
  
The blinding pain increased as he struggled to return to his normal state, making the 500-ton Russian drop to his knees.  
  
"Can't...."  
  
He finally gave in, letting whatever it was drag him along the cobblestone ground in the direction of the incessant draw.  
  
  
  
+ + + + +  
  
Logan's ribs ached with the effort of breathing, making it hard to even whisper as the pull grew stronger.  
  
"Gosh, you sure are heavy as heck, shugah," Rogue said in an attempt to lighten the situation.  
  
"Whatcha been eatin'?"  
  
Logan grimaced.  
  
"About.....two hundred....pounds....of...adamantium....!"  
  
Rogue smiled grimly.  
  
"That'd explain a lot, shugah."  
  
He squirmed as he dragged in another breath, the pain intensifying.  
  
"Down....there...." He gasped hoarsely.  
  
Rogue nodded and concentrated on landing smoothly.  
  
"This....way...." He said, holding out an arm to where his bones wanted to go.  
  
He began to run, his feet barely touching the ground until they no longer where, and Rogue followed, astonished as he sliced through the air in flight.  
  
"Hold up!" She shouted.  
  
Rogue let herself float up and shoot forward, drawing on all her speed to keep up with the metal-boned feral mutant.  
  
Suddenly Logan froze, unable to move as he reached his destination.  
  
Rogue crashed into his back with a cry.  
  
"What are yah doin', shu-" She stopped as she spotted the purple-clad Magneto just ahead.  
  
  
  
+ + + + +  
  
Magneto turned around and smiled.  
  
"Ah, Wolverine, there you are!"  
  
Logan growled.  
  
"Lemme go, metal head!"  
  
Magneto chuckled.  
  
"It would seem, Wolverine, that not I but * you * are the metal head here."  
  
He waved his fingers, making Logan let out a shriek that sounded like an animal in pain as the adamantium laced to his skull shifted.  
  
"Oh, ma gawd," Rogue sobbed.  
  
"Stop...freezin'...me....an....fight...like....a...man...you.... coward!"  
  
Magneto smiled mockingly.  
  
"We are fighting powers against powers, Wolverine, and I am playing by the rules."  
  
He gave a savage twist of his hand to emphasize his words.  
  
Logan howled as pain shot through every nerve in his body.  
  
"Let him go, you * nazi! * "  
  
Rogue bit her lip as Magneto turned to her, fury evident on his face.  
  
" * What * did you just call me?"  
  
Tears of rage streamed down her cheeks.  
  
"...Rogue.....don't...." Logan whispered from where he stood, frozen.  
  
Rogue balled up her fists.  
  
"Ah called you a * nazi *, Magneto! That's what you are! That's what you've become!"  
  
Magneto looked angry beyond words.  
  
His eyes bulged and he stuttered for a moment, then clamped his jaw firmly shut and turned his attention back to the helpless Logan.  
  
"This is for your foolish words, Rogue."  
  
Before Rogue could register what was happening, Magneto stuck out his other hand and pulled both of his hands to his chest in a beckoning gesture.  
  
"AaaaaaaaaaaAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"  
  
Logan let out an inhumane scream as the adamantium implants separated from his bone skeleton, ripping through his muscles and the pores in his skin to enter the brisk evening air.  
  
The metal floated obediently to Magneto's hands and landed at his feet.  
  
"LOGAN!" Rogue screamed, watching her barely-recognizable lover fall to the ground, a mess of torn insides and blood.  
  
"May that be a lesson, you uneducated country hick."  
  
Magneto rose into the air, and with a swirl of his purple cape, was gone.  
  
Rogue rushed to Logan's side, not giving any indication of having noticed the villain's departure.  
  
"Oh ma gawd! Logan! LOGAN!"  
  
Cold adrenaline rushed through Rogue's veins as she realized that he wasn't breathing.  
  
"Please....hang on shugah....."  
  
She thanked god she had taken CPR as she repositioned his head and pinched what was left of his nostrils shut, cupping her hand around her lips to protect him from her deadly skin.  
  
~C'mon, c'mon shugah,~ She thought as she forced air into his shocked lungs and removed her hand from his nose to let him exhale.  
  
After repeating this once more, she leaned back and quickly placed her glove-covered fingers to his neck to check his non-existent pulse.  
  
"Oh, gawd," She gasped before putting her hands to his chest and pumping it as she had been taught.  
  
After a few moments of this had passed, she checked his pulse again and to her relief found it, though it felt faint.  
  
He coughed and opened his eyes.  
  
"...R...ogue...?" He asked weakly.  
  
A tear trickled down her cheek.  
  
"Shhh. Don't try t' talk, shugah, he gotcha real bad."  
  
He took another shallow breath.  
  
"I...kin kinda....feel that," Rogue shook her head in disbelief, amazed that he could still be cracking jokes when the cobblestone was forever stained with an enormous puddle of his blood.  
  
"Ah betta call Jean raight away, shugah. Don't move."  
  
Logan's lips twitched in an attempted grin.  
  
"I don't....think I'll....be goin'....anywhere....darlin'."  
  
Rogue pressed the X on her wrist and brought it close to her mouth.  
  
"Rogue to Jean! Jean! Answer me!"  
  
"Jean to Rogue. What's wrong?"  
  
"Logan's down! Magneto....he...tore out tha metal! All of it!"  
  
A shocked pause.  
  
"Dear god. Is he breathing?"  
  
"He's awake Jean, ah had t' revaive him with CPR, but he's conscious."  
  
"Can you describe the injuries for me?"  
  
"Well.....he's lost an awful lotta blood, an' ah can see muscles all ova, an tha bone's showing in some places....it'sa real mess! He needs help!"  
  
"Alright, Rogue, don't move him, I'll be there as fast as I can."  
  
Rogue bit her lip.  
  
"Hurry," She whispered.  
  
"I'm on my way. Jean out."  
  
Rogue turned back to Logan.  
  
"Do ya think ya can hold on till Jean gets here, shugah?"  
  
Logan drew a shuddering breath.  
  
"I'll...try...Rogue....I...."  
  
"Don't speak---"  
  
"I gotta....say this now....Rogue...I...love you."  
  
Rogue's eyes filled with more tears.  
  
"Ah love ya too, shugah, just hold on."  
  
He didn't answer.  
  
"Logan! Logan! Don't go on me, shugah! Don't!"  
  
He had slipped into a blissfully unaware state of unconsciousness, unable to take the pain any longer.  
  
"Logan, don't...wake up, please....."  
  
She checked his vitals again, her eyes wide with terror, but since he was still breathing, there was nothing she could do but wait for Jean.  
  
  
  
+ + + + + 


	15. Chapter 15

Scott and Jean had unsuccessfully been fighting off Magneto when he had just upped and left.  
  
"What the heck was that?"  
  
Jean flipped her silky red hair over her shoulder.  
  
"I have no idea, Scott."  
  
Scott's brow furrowed.  
  
"But you're the mind reader here!"  
  
Jean smiled and tapped her temple.  
  
"Thought proof helmet, remember?"  
  
Scott smacked his forehead and groaned.  
  
"Right, right, I remember now. Damn!"  
  
Jean was silent, her face scrunched up in concentration.  
  
"What are you doing?"  
  
She opened her eyes a pinch and glanced at Scott.  
  
"I'm scanning....I caught something like panic from Rogue, and....."  
  
She screamed in agony and dropped to her knees, clutching her head.  
  
"Jean! Jean! What's wrong?"  
  
Jean gasped for breath as the pain subsided.  
  
"I.....don't know, Scott, but I.... received a....* very *..... intense pain signal from....Logan....."  
  
She grimaced in recollection.  
  
"Logan's blocking me out with his training...and Rogue's mind is in such a turmoil that I can't read it clearly enough to know what happened....."  
  
Scott frowned.  
  
"Maybe we should contact them."  
  
Jean shook her head.  
  
"No need, Scott, she's---"  
  
She was interrupted by the crackle of her radio.  
  
"Rogue to Jean! Jean! Answer me!"  
  
Jean was taken by surprise at the level of panic in Rogue's usually easy voice.  
  
"Jean to Rogue. What's wrong?"  
  
She attempted to soothe Rogue with her voice, using a calm and professional tone.  
  
"Logan's down! Magneto...he...tore out tha metal! All of it!"  
  
Jean's eyes opened wide and she gasped, taking a moment to gather her wits.  
  
"Dear god. Is he breathing?"  
  
Beside her Scott looked flabbergasted.  
  
"He's awake Jean, ah had t' revaive him with CPR, but he's conscious."  
  
Jean let out a breath.  
  
"Can you describe the injuries for me?"  
  
She steeled herself for the bound-to-be-ghastly-description.  
  
"Well...he's lost an awful lotta blood, an' ah can see muscles all ova, an tha bone's showing in some places.....it'sa real mess! He needs help!"  
  
Jean racked her mind for something Rogue could do to help him, but the southern belle had done all that was in the range of her abilities.  
  
What Logan needed right now was medical attention.  
  
"Alright, Rogue, don't move him, I'll be there as fast as I can."  
  
She glanced at Scott, who nodded firmly.  
  
"Hurry," Rogue whispered in a tearful undertone.  
  
Jean sent a reassuring thought Rogue's way.  
  
"I'm on my way. Jean out."  
  
She pressed the X button on her wrist before turning back to Scott.  
  
"Scott, Logan's injured badly. I don't know if his healing factor can take such a drastic wounding. I need to get there ASAP."  
  
Her tone was unwavering as her medical training took over.  
  
"Ladies and gents, watch out! The Iceman is comin' through!"  
  
Jean and Scott jumped out of the way as a slide of ice formed between them.  
  
A moment later, a figure of solid ice zipped down the slope he had created and skidded to a stop beside the leader and his fiancée.  
  
"Iceman! You're just who we needed right now. Wolverine's down, and I need to help him. Can you take me there?"  
  
Bobby nodded seriously.  
  
"Of course. Hop on!"  
  
Jean telekinetically raised herself onto the ice ramp and took Bobby's cold hand before pausing as a thought struck her.  
  
"Wait! Is Hank with you?"  
  
"He was a couple hundred meters behind me."  
  
Jean looked at Scott.  
  
"Cyclops, can you radio Hank and tell him to meet me there? Tell him it's urgent."  
  
Scott nodded.  
  
"Thank you." Jean returned her vision to the icy path ahead of them.  
  
"Let's go."  
  
+ + + + + 


	16. Chapter 16

Storm sighed as she took to the frigid air once more, becoming one with the elements that swirled and gusted, making her long white hair billow about her lithe African figure.  
  
She stretched out amongst the wind, playing it lightly with her fingertips as she soared above the abandoned district, her pupiless eyes glowing white as they searched the barren ground below.  
  
"Psylocke to Storm. Storm, do you read?"  
  
Betsy's British accent broke the lonely silence of the skies, startling the wind-riding weather witch from her stormy thoughts.  
  
"Storm to Psylocke. I read you, child. Have you found anything?"  
  
Her pleasant, low-pitched voice seemed to echo in the brisk evening air.  
  
"I may have, Storm. I could not be certain of whom they were, for one mind was completely blocked from me and the other was too murky with pain to decipher."  
  
Betsy paused for breath.  
  
"You are nearing the location, Storm, perhaps you could fly in for a closer look?"  
  
Storm controlled a large gust of wind that threatened to override her smooth flight before answering.  
  
"Yes, of course, child. I will examine it immediately. Where is this place?"  
  
Psylocke transferred the coordinates into Storm's mind for fear of interception by the enemy, while adding a small plea that Storm should do everything she could for Betsy's boyfriend, the Russian giant Colossus.  
  
"I am on my way. Storm out."  
  
Storm's costume fluttered in the wind as she created a small hurricane to help speed her to her destination.  
  
She spread her arms gracefully, her long hair flying out behind her as she rode the wind, feeling the rising storm serge through her blood and into the surrounding air.  
  
  
  
+ + + + +  
  
Storm hushed the winds as she hovered above the place that was ingrained in her mind, silent lest she should give away her advantage.  
  
She scanned the ground quickly with white hawk-like eyes, searching for any trace of her Russian metal morphing friend.  
  
"Ah, Storm, what a pleasant surprise. I do believe we've met before, perhaps in the Savage Lands?"  
  
Storm whipped around, her glowing eyes widening as they took in the producer of the voice.  
  
"Magneto!"  
  
Magneto smiled.  
  
"Well observed, Storm. Your little metallic friend was not as quick-witted, unfortunately for him."  
  
Storm made no attempt to hide the rage that played upon her face.  
  
"If you have so much as touched Peter with your filthy hands, I shall make it known to you why I am called 'Storm'!"  
  
A small chuckled came from the purple-clad master of magnetism.  
  
"Tut tut, my dear, you must learn to control your temper, or you will suffer the consequences as did your skunk-haired country hick of a team mate."  
  
Storm gasped.  
  
"What have you done to her?!"  
  
A solemn look displayed itself on the villain's face.  
  
"My dear, you really know nothing of logic, do you? I have done nothing to her. Rather, her metal-skulled * boyfriend * paid the price."  
  
Storm looked as if she would be sick.  
  
"You didn't," She whispered.  
  
"I did," He said, his face breaking into a grin.  
  
"You are insane," She said, thoroughly disgusted.  
  
"Such is the cost of freedom, my dear," He said with a nonchalant shrug.  
  
Storm made no answer, letting the disrupted elements show her enraged emotions by darkening the clouds and streaking the sky with flashes of lightning.  
  
"If I would not become like you, Magneto," She said in a deathly fierce whisper.  
  
"Then I would kill you."  
  
Magneto chuckled.  
  
"Action is better than words, my dear," He said, his arms outstretched as he called metal from the structures so far below.  
  
Scraps of sharp, twisted metal rose into the swirling air until they surrounded him in a circle, a fence of razor-sharp blades that would beckon to his every thought.  
  
"And this," He said, his hand clenched into a fist. "Is action."  
  
He opened his fist, loosening his hold on the knife-like projectiles.  
  
  
  
+ + + + + + 


	17. Chapter 17

Storm called on the elements of nature as Magneto released his magnetized razors.  
  
"Winds of Fury!" She cried, her white clad arms stretching to the heavens.  
  
"Reroute these pieces of slicing death, and aid your mistress in her time of need!"  
  
A strong gust of wind met the oncoming blades, making them halt, quivering in the air as the two forces battled for control.  
  
The effort was too soon taking a toll on the weather goddess, making her realize that she must rethink her plans and overpower Magneto with a taste of his own medicine.  
  
An idea struck her, and she flung her hand out towards the threatening metal with vigor.  
  
"Winds! Temperatures! Form a tornado to blast away this madman's twisted slaves!"  
  
A wispy cloud formed in front of the faux African goddess, picking up speed as the winds fed it and dropping into a twister.  
  
She stretched her hands towards where the metal quivered, using all her strength and power to push the tornado towards her adversary.  
  
It tore through the metal, swallowing it up in great gulps as it forced its way to where Magneto floated.  
  
His eyes narrowed.  
  
"When will you ignorant X-men learn that I am unbeatable?"  
  
He willed the metal to obey his commands.  
  
Storm gasped as she lost contact with the now-metallic twister, feeling Magneto pull it away with his magnetism and turn it into spinning death.  
  
"You shall be my example to all those who resist me."  
  
He forced the twisted metal twister ever closer to Storm.  
  
~What combats magnetism?~ Thought the panicked weather goddess. ~Lightning!~  
  
She felt the energy surge through her body as she called upon the elements of the nature around her.  
  
"Lightning!" She cried shrilly. "Obey my command and strike this metal tornado!"  
  
The white electricity forked from her fingertips, joining into one solid bolt as it left her hand and hit the twister with a resounding crack.  
  
The metal instantly dropped to the ground below, demagnetized by Storm's charge, and she immediately made the tornado disappear into a wisp of cloud.  
  
Magneto looked shocked.  
  
"Very well, my dear," He said under his breath.  
  
Storm felt the very air spark with magnetism as he called the metal to him, making the ground below them shake as he pulled away pipes and the foundations from the buildings.  
  
"Goddess," She gasped, ducking a large rod just in time.  
  
Her heart fluttered as she observed the simple objects that Magneto turned into dangerous weapons rising from the earth.  
  
She heard a mighty rumble and turned with round white eyes to see the Blackbird floating towards them under Magneto's control.  
  
Behind it, numerous cars, jets, and other metal debris followed, some groaning in protest as they neared.  
  
They creaked to a stop, floating in midair as they awaited the magnetic mutant's command.  
  
"This is only a sample of my immeasurable power, Storm. Do you surrender to the winning side?"  
  
"Never," Storm cried defiantly, her cloaks and hair billowing around her athletic form as she prepared to face her destiny.  
  
"I am an X-man. I am no traitor. I am no turncoat! "  
  
Magneto smiled grimly.  
  
"Then you and your friends shall be eliminated."  
  
He stretched out his hand once more, letting loose a powerful magnetic pull as he called the tanks summoned earlier to his command.  
  
Storm swallowed as she caught sight of the approaching tanks, knowing she was insignificant; Magneto could squash her with great ease.  
  
Her only hope was to buy time for her friends.  
  
"So be it," She said in a firm voice, her eyes beginning to glow as she activated her powers.  
  
"Winds! Lightning! Ice and Snow! Obey my command! Let my opponent feel the full force of the STORM!"  
  
With that, all chaos broke loose.  
  
Magneto turned his head around in amazement as a lightning bolt cracked right behind him.  
  
The clouds darkened and split as they began to pour rain, snow and hail, and the wind howled, becoming bitterly cold as Storm called on the full extent of her gifts.  
  
Ice left her fingertips and hit Magneto, forming around his purple-clad body and freezing him in place.  
  
He cried out as he was immobilized, but began to concentrate on willing the tanks to let loose on the gone-wild weather witch.  
  
Storm turned around as a bullet whizzed past her ear.  
  
"Lightning! Destroy this threat to your mistress!"  
  
The tank exploded in a shower of fiery sparks as it was struck by an incredibly strong surge of lightning.  
  
Storm laughed aloud, her normal self-control and quiet demeanor gone, making her as wild as her unusual codename.  
  
Magneto gritted his teeth, the cold beginning to numb the nerves in his fingertips.  
  
He couldn't feel the metal anymore.  
  
Storm spread a stream of electricity over all the machinery floating before them, save the Blackbird.  
  
She then turned back to the purple-clad villain.  
  
"Tell me where Peter is!" She shouted over the howl of the wind.  
  
"No!" Magneto yelled stubbornly.  
  
The extreme weather increased a notch, making the wind sharper and the ice even colder.  
  
"If you do not tell me, Magneto, I will completely freeze every vein in your body!"  
  
The master of magnetism closed his eyes in desperation, then realized his life was more important to the future of mutant kind than playing games with prey.  
  
"Fine, fine, alright, I'll tell you!" He roared as the cold began to seep into his bones.  
  
The storm quieted a little.  
  
"Your steel friend, he is being held as a hostage below."  
  
He grimaced.  
  
"He is.....unconscious. The pain must have been too much to bear."  
  
Storm's eyes blazed.  
  
"And what of Logan?"  
  
Magneto felt a chill that had nothing to do with the cold run down his spine as he looked at the enraged weather goddess's face.  
  
"He is....probably dead," He said.  
  
Storm's eyebrows scrunched even further down in an expression of anger.  
  
"What did you do to him?"  
  
Magneto tried to avoid her gaze. "I....removed....the adamantium implants from his body."  
  
Storm let out a shriek as sharp as the winds that swirled about her.  
  
"This, Magneto," She screamed. "Is for Logan!"  
  
Her long fingers exploded into fiery white as electricity struck Magneto and turned his world to blackness.  
  
  
  
+ + + + + 


	18. Chapter 18

+ + + + +  
  
Rogue huddled in a corner of the vast jet as she watched Jean and Hank hover over the bloody mass of flesh and bones that was Logan's body.  
  
A tear finally rolled down her cheek, leaking through her strong mental barrier and breaking her golden no-crying rule.  
  
~What if he doesn't make it?~ She thought with panic. ~What if he-no, I won't let myself think of that. He'll heal this. He always has. He'll be fine. Don't think stuff like that.~  
  
~Think about Ryan. He's so sweet. He's our son. He's waiting back at the mansion-Logan hasn't met him yet.~  
  
A smile broke through her shocked expression as she thought of her newborn son.  
  
~Not even a day old, and already talking! What a Christmas present.~  
  
A worried murmur of voices broke through her thoughts.  
  
"Hank, get the respirator!"  
  
"I have it, Jean. Has the chart leveled at all?"  
  
"No, I---dear god! Pass me the--"  
  
Rogue got up and made her way to where the two doctors fuzz over the unrecognizable body of her newborn child's father.  
  
"Is he going t' be okay?"  
  
Jean whirled around, being so absorbed in her work that she had been startled by the quiet voice.  
  
"Rogue! My, you scared me. I'm sorry, I can't tell right now. I'm a little occupied, could we talk later?"  
  
Rogue nodded slowly, another tear trickling down her wet cheeks.  
  
~She's in shock,~ Jean realized. ~She shouldn't be left alone.~  
  
/ 'Ro! /  
  
The tall, graceful figure of her African friend turned to face her from where she sat.  
  
:: Yes, child?::  
  
Jean glanced at Rogue.  
  
/ Would you mind keeping Rogue company? The poor thing is in shock, and she shouldn't be left alone. But with Logan, both Hank and me have our hands full. /  
  
'Ro stood up.  
  
:: Of course, Jean, I would be happy to. Do not worry, I am on it.::  
  
/ Thanks! /  
  
"Jean!" Hank cried, his voice frantic. "He's going flat line!"  
  
"Oh dear," She gasped, and spun back to her task.  
  
'Ro made her way to her southern friend and put a hand on her shoulder comfortingly.  
  
"Do not worry, child, I am sure he will be just fine, given time."  
  
Rogue looked up.  
  
"Ah know.....ah kn-now, 'Ro, it's j-just.....th-tha s-s-screams where....."  
  
She seemed to collapse on herself.  
  
"There, there, child. Let it out," Said her friend soothingly, embracing Rogue's form as it shuddered with unreleased sobs.  
  
"Ah-ah'm s-sorry 'R-ro....oohhhh.....how c-could h-he.....what if he d-d- doesn't even l-live to see our...."  
  
She clapped a hand over her mouth.  
  
"It's alright, child," 'Ro soothed. "I already know of it."  
  
Rogue gasped in a breath.  
  
"H-how?" She asked. "W-who told you?"  
  
"Jean did," 'Ro said calmly.  
  
"She wasn't supposed to tell nobody!" Rogue said, anger leaking through her tears.  
  
"Do not be angry, child," 'Ro said as she patted her friend on the back.  
  
"It was necessary. I have never told anyone."  
  
The rage faded from Rogue's features.  
  
"Ah-h'm sorry, 'Ro. It's ahlraight. Ah can't blame Jean."  
  
She hugged her friend before stepping back and wiping her eyes.  
  
"Thank you, 'Ro. Yah're such a good friend. Always there when ah need a shoulder t' craih on."  
  
'Ro smiled patiently.  
  
"That is what friends are for, child."  
  
The crackling of an incoming message cut through the otherwise calming atmosphere of the jet.  
  
"Jean! Jean! Rogue! Anyone! Come in!"  
  
Rogue floated over to where the receiver sat on the table and picked it up.  
  
"Forest? Is that you, shugah?"  
  
She heard a vicious crash in the background.  
  
"It's---AHHHH!"  
  
The radio clicked off, cutting Forest's words short.  
  
Rogue stared at the mechanism.  
  
"What is wrong, child?" 'Ro asked, seeing the sudden disbelieving expression on her friend's face.  
  
"That was Forest."  
  
A pause.  
  
"Ah left Ryan with her."  
  
The next words came out as a whisper.  
  
"An' they're being attacked."  
  
  
  
+ + + + + 


	19. Chapter 19

+ + + + +  
  
The tall African woman named 'Ro watched her southern friend pace the length of the Blackbird repeatedly, her features scrunched with anxiety.  
  
"Nevah should'a left him...so stupid.....should'a taken him with maih...."  
  
She sighed and looked at 'Ro apologetically.  
  
"Ah'm sorry, Ro'...do y' think ah could...."  
  
'Ro smiled with sympathy.  
  
"Of course, child. I shall accompany you."  
  
Rogue floated to the cockpit, stopping right beside the team's 'one-eyed' leader.  
  
"Scott, take down th' ramp, shugah. Me n' 'Ro is goin' fer a lil flight."  
  
Scott, who had been briefed on the situation, nodded without hesitation.  
  
"Of course, Rogue. We'll meet you there ASAP."  
  
Rogue smiled sadly at the stoic man codenamed Cyclops, the butt of many cruel jokes by other members of the team, Logan included.  
  
"Thanks, Scott. Yer a real sweetheaht an a good leadah, no mattah what Logan says."  
  
Scott looked a little embarrassed, and waved her off with his hand and a grin.  
  
She turned back to 'Ro, whose eyes had already transformed from ice blue to solid white.  
  
"Let's go, shugah."  
  
The ramp began to open, allowing the two wind-riding X-women to become airborne.  
  
  
  
+ + + + +  
  
Rogue breathed a sigh of relief as she sliced through the crisp evening air.  
  
Back in the jet, she had begun to feel claustrophobic, the walls closing in on her, the clock constantly ticking time away.  
  
Out here, in the skies, she felt freedom.  
  
She smiled as a light breeze combed through her chin-length bob of hair, making the white bangs flutter around her face.  
  
Slightly behind her the weather witch was soaring through the air, stretching her body out like a cat's as the weather mingled with her body.  
  
Rogue gazed down at the land far below her, watching the clouds pass by.  
  
The fluffy pillows where pierced by the occasional tip of a skyscraper, and in some places she could see to the world such a long way down.  
  
Little ribbons of charcoal---highways. Boxes within a blur of gray---the city. And away from that, rolling patches of bright green, darkened by the night sky.  
  
"Tell me about your new son, child!"  
  
Rogue glanced to her side to see the white-clad goddess of the elements that rode the wind beside her.  
  
"Oh, 'Ro, he's so perfect. The sweetest thang you'd evah seen!"  
  
'Ro smiled.  
  
"He's got mah hair," Rogue continued, a picture of her son flashing up in her mind. "An' Logan's eyes. His nose is kinda a mix, ah guess."  
  
'Ro laughed softly.  
  
"He sounds wonderful, child. And of his temperament?"  
  
Rogue sighed happily.  
  
"Ah didn't get nearly enough taime with him yet. He is amazing! He's so smaht. 'Ro, he can speak!"  
  
'Ro gasped.  
  
"But he is so young!" She cried.  
  
"Ah know," Rogue said, shaking her head with a grin.  
  
"Dunno where he gets that from. Ah ain't that smaht, an don't tell Logan, but he ain't no Einstein eitha."  
  
Her grin straightened as she remembered that Logan lay back in the jet , hanging onto life by a thread.  
  
"Oh, 'Ro," She sighed.  
  
"What if he don't make it?"  
  
A warm breeze left 'Ro's fingertips to comfort her friend.  
  
"Child, you must not think like that. It will not help him."  
  
Rogue blew a tendril of white out of her face.  
  
"Ah guess yer raight, 'Ro....ah should concentrate on th' tahsk at hand."  
  
She closed her eyes and let the cool breeze of the pleasantly crisp evening wash through her, carrying away doubts and worries and leaving only strength and confidence.  
  
"We have arrived, child. The mansion is just down there."  
  
Rogue looked down at the mansion that looked so far away from her viewpoint.  
  
"Let's go kick some butt, shugah."  
  
  
  
+ + + + +  
  
Rogue landed in front of the grand entrance of the mansion, her heart fluttering in her chest as she took in the scene of ghastly destruction.  
  
The heavy, intricately carved wooden double-doors were busted in, the glass that once sat in the panels lying in shards on the carpeted floor.  
  
There were small tears in the thick Persian rug, as though caused by claws of some sort that had scampered out in a great hurry.  
  
"Mai gawd," She whispered.  
  
Taking a deep breath, she rose into the air again and shot through the doorway, fists out and her face a mask of pure rage as she made her way to the med lab where she had left her son with Forest.  
  
Finally she reached the elevator, punching in her code and yelling instructions to the automated voice, cold sweat running down her back as the doors closed and the elevator descended.  
  
She bolted out of the steel transport, for the first time not bothering to say anything back to the elevator, as was her tradition.  
  
In moments, she reached the battered med lab doors and peeped in.  
  
She was stunned.  
  
The carts, once so organized and sterile, lay scattered about the room, their implements and medicines shattered on the floor.  
  
The exam tables had large rips; some of them had been uprooted from the ground and smashed into the immaculate walls.  
  
To top it all off, a massive tangle of vines covered almost every square inch in her sight.  
  
"F-Forest?" She ventured, pushing a thick vine out of her way and stepping into the chaotic room.  
  
A sobbing sound drew her attention to a particular corner of the dilapidated room, and after searching it with her eyes, she finally spotted Forest's outline.  
  
"Forest! There y' ahr, shugah! What in th' heck happened heah?"  
  
She stopped as she saw Forest's empty arms, her heart pounding.  
  
"Wheah's Ryan?" She asked, her eyes searching wildly around the room.  
  
"Mmmhmmmmhmmm." The bent over figure murmured.  
  
"What was that, shugah?"  
  
Forest raised her head and looked at Rogue, tears streaming wet paths down her face.  
  
"He....got him.....Rogue....I'm so, so, sorry.....I couldn't protect him...."  
  
Rogue's heart raced.  
  
"Who got who, shugah?" She asked, not wanting to believe it.  
  
Forest let out another sob.  
  
"S-sabertooth....he....got Ryan.....he * took * him.....ohhhhhh, Rogue, I tried, but he took.....him anyways....."  
  
Rogue's heart stood still.  
  
{ to be continued in The Never Ending Story #3: Beautiful Blue.look for it coming soon! }  
  
+ + + + +  
  
Author's notes & thanks:  
  
Hey y'all !  
  
I'm having a great time writing this series...I got a great plot planned for #3!  
  
I'll have some of that up in no time so don't worry---no end in sight yet!!  
  
Thanks to all who left reviews, too many to name personally, but keep them coming, they inspire me to work harder !  
  
Big thanks to my Sista Annie ^-^  
  
~Rogue~ 


End file.
